Blessed
by mtd4417
Summary: Sequel to For Better Or For Worse. Aiden and Aaliyah are now 3 years old. See as Tony and Ziva struggle to balance work as well as making proper parental decisions. How does it unfold when a case actually may affect their family?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hi :) So, as promised, here is the beginning of the second installment of this four-story series! I hope you enjoy, and if you haven't read For Better Or For Worse, I suggest you do so before reading this one. Please review!

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or any original characters. I do own Aiden, Aaliyah, and Janice.

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"Mommy! Daddy!" Tony and Ziva were suddenly awoken by their three-year-old twins Aiden and Aaliyah who were jumping on the bed. Tony shifted his son off of him and into the space between himself and Ziva.

"What time is it," he groaned and looked over toward the bedside table.

"Almost six," Ziva replied with a yawn as she pulled Aaliyah into her lap. She rested her head on top of her daughter's and ran her fingers through Aaliyah's hair.

"Time to get up!" Aaliyah chimed.

"And why are you up so early?" Tony asked his daughter sweetly. Aaliyah's mouth dropped open and her eyes widened as if her father should already know the answer.

"Puppies!" she exclaimed, clearly excited about something.

"We see puppies today, Daddy," Aiden added. Tony looked up at Ziva to see if she knew what their children were talking about.

"Yeah, Daddy," she smirked playfully at her husband. "Janice's dog had puppies, and she promised Aiden and Aaliyah that they could meet them today." The twins were nodding excitedly as their mother spoke.

"Oh she did, did she?" Tony asked, leaning back against his pillow.

"Yeah. Can we keep one?" Aiden asked. Tony and Ziva smiled as their son was nearly bouncing on the bed.

"No, I don't think so," Tony replied, to which Aiden folded his arms and stuck his lower lip out in a pout.

"Please, Daddy?" Aaliyah pleaded. Tony looked over at her and melted. She had the most powerful puppy-dog face that Tony had ever seen.

"We'll see," he relented. Aiden and Aaliyah smiled and jumped up in joy. "Why don't you two go on to the kitchen, and we'll be right there to get you some breakfast." The twins hopped down from the bed and ran from the room. With a sigh, Tony ran one hand through his own hair before turning to his right to see Ziva staring incredulously at him.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"You are unbelievable," Ziva stated.

"Why?" he asked.

"No, I don't think so," Ziva began, mocking Tony's voice. "_Please_ Daddy?" she continued, mimicking Aaliyah. "Oh, we'll see."

"So?" Tony asked. "What harm would a dog do?"

"That is not the point," Ziva said. "You cannot go through these childrens' lives telling Aiden no and then telling Aaliyah yes to the exact same thing."

"I don't do that," Tony argued. Ziva raised her eyebrows, challenging her husband.

"Oh, come on, Tony," she said. "I get it. She's your little princess, and you don't want to tell her no."

"I can say no to her," Tony argued again. Ziva chuckled.

"Come off it," she said. "You have been wrapped around that little girl's finger since the day they were born." Tony shrugged and looked down at the bed; he couldn't dispute that.

"Alright, I'm sorry," he said.

"It's okay," Ziva smiled. "Now why don't you go make breakfast while I take a shower?"

"I believe it's your turn to make breakfast," Tony reminded her with his flashy, signature smile.

"I know. But I really need to clean up. I had a very...dirty dream last night," Ziva said in a quiet, sexy voice into Tony's neck.

"Oh, you did?" Tony asked hopefully. Ziva nodded.

"So, do you think you could take my turn this once?" she asked. "Please, Daddy?" Tony chuckled lightly.

"Only if you tell me what the dream was about," he replied. Ziva kissed him on the cheek and stood from the bed, smiling at him.

"I can do better than that," she said. "Maybe tonight I will show you instead." She winked at him flirtatiously and went to the bathroom to shower. After Ziva left, Tony got up to join his children in the kitchen. He prepared a meal of waffles and bacon, and then he went to prepare himself for work while Ziva clothed the children. Finally, they were ready to leave for the day.

Tony checked to make sure their apartment door was locked as Ziva went to knock on Janice's door. Very shortly, Janice opened the door and greeted them all with an inviting smile.

"Well good morning," she said.

"Morning!" Aiden and Aaliyah chimed together.

"Well you two seem rather chipper this morning," Janice observed cheerfully.

"We see puppies today!" Aiden said for the second time that morning. Janice chuckled at the kids' excitement of her promise.

"Yes you do," she said.

"They have been very excited about that," Ziva said, ruffling the top of Aiden's hair.

"Daddy said we can keep one," Aaliyah grinned. Janice directed her eyes toward Tony who opened his mouth in protest.

"I did not," he defended himself. "I said we would think about it. And that's only if any of them are for sale, of course." Janice chuckled again and shook her head.

"I'll see what I can do," she smiled.

"Well, we had better be on our way to work," Ziva said. She and Tony knelt down to hug their children goodbye. "We'll be back to pick them up this evening."

"Oh, I know the drill," Janice assured them. Tony and Ziva thanked Janice and told their kids goodbye before turning down the hallway and heading to work.

The past three years had been the best years of Tony and Ziva's lives. Aiden and Aaliyah had both turned out to be healthy, happy babies and were growing into beautiful children. Tony and Ziva knew they were blessed to finally have the family they had always wanted, and they also knew how lucky they were to have Janice. Instead of putting the twins in daycare, Janice had agreed to watch them while Tony and Ziva were at work. She was retired after all, and she loved being their full-time babysitter. Aiden and Aaliyah were just the right amount of energy and happiness to brighten Janice's days, and she was certainly happy to help out Tony and Ziva in any way that she could. And of course, Tony and Ziva felt completely confident in Janice's ability to babysit. It was obvious that she loved the children, and even though they certainly paid her for her time, it was no secret that Janice would just as happily watch the children for free.

Their current arrangement was definitely a happy one for everyone involved. However, Ziva had been wondering for a while how much longer Janice would be able to keep up with Aiden and Aaliyah. They were growing very quickly, and the older they became, the faster and more mischievous they became as well. Unbeknownst to Tony, Ziva had been pondering alternatives to leaving the children with Janice every day. It was this morning on the drive to work that she decided to fill him in on her thoughts.

"The kids sure do love going to Janice's, don't they," Tony was saying. Ziva nodded.

"Yes they do," she agreed. "But I have been thinking a lot lately."

"About?" Tony asked, sneaking a quick glance away from the road and toward his wife.

"What would you think about possibly looking into pre-school for them?" Ziva asked. The expression on Tony's face showed that he was clearly shocked by her proposal, as Ziva expected him to be. He was silent for a moment as he processed the question.

"For what purpose?" he asked.

"So that they are not constantly with Janice all day every day," Ziva replied.

"They love it there, and Janice obviously loves having them," Tony pointed out. "Why change it all of a sudden?"

"Think about it, Tony," Ziva began. "Yes they all get along, but Aiden and Aaliyah are already three years old. They will be starting school in a couple of years anyway. This would get them some experience with other children beforehand. Besides, Janice is getting older, and she is retired. She should be able to enjoy her own life."

"I think she can handle it," Tony shrugged.

"I just do not know how much longer she will be able to keep up with a couple of toddlers," Ziva said. Tony was silent again as he weighed the options.

"I don't know," he finally said.

"What problem do you have with pre-school?" Ziva asked.

"At least when we leave them with Janice, we know they are in good hands," Tony explained. Ziva realized his hesitation, and she too had thought this through.

"Tony, it isn't like we would just drop them at the first one we see," she said. "We would check out several and pick the one we feel is best."

"Well, if we do decide to do this, how would we break it to Janice? You know she loves the kids," Tony pointed out. Ziva smiled, having already taken care of this as well.

"It just so happens that I have already talked to Janice," she admitted.

"You talked to Janice about this before you mentioned it to me?" Tony asked, feeling annoyed that he was the last to hear of any discussion about changing the arrangement regarding their children.

"Only to find out how she felt about it," Ziva replied. "Janice has agreed to picking the children up after pre-school and watching them until we get home from work."

"See, she'll be watching them anyway. Why would we pay for both a pre-school _and_ a babysitter?" Tony asked. Ziva shook her head; Tony could be rather stubborn.

"She would only have them for a couple of hours as opposed to all day," she replied. "They could still spend time together, but Janice would have the majority of her days to spend however she pleases, and Aiden and Aaliyah will get to interact with other kids. It is really a win-win situation." Tony thought over his wife's reasoning and realized she wasn't wrong.

"Well, I guess there's no harm in checking out a few schools," he finally relented as he pulled up to NCIS headquarters. "But tonight when we get home, I want to at least ask Aiden and Aaliyah about it. We should see how comfortable they would feel."

"Okay," Ziva smiled.

Tony and Ziva walked into work which appeared to be running business as usual. They arrived at their desks and greeted McGee and Gibbs who were sitting at their respective desks. After seating themselves at their own desks, they each pulled out some work to occupy their time until they heard Gibbs' desk phone ring.

"Yeah, Gibbs," he answered it. Tony, Ziva, and McGee all perked up, ready for instructions that were bound to follow. Sure enough, Gibbs slammed the phone down and stood up, preparing himself. "Grab your gear." His team members obeyed and quickly bustled to the elevator.

Fifteen minutes later, Gibbs parked the car at the crime scene which was on the outskirts of town near a pond. Gibbs crossed the small field to the pond to meet the officers who had called for NCIS while McGee, Tony, and Ziva got the necessary materials from the vehicle. Shortly thereafter, the three rejoined their boss down by the pond.

"Who found the body?" Gibbs was asking the officer in charge.

"An elderly gentleman out on a fishing trip," he replied. "Said the body turned up on the shore." Gibbs nodded and gave his team their usual instructions. As they processed the crime scene, Ducky and Palmer had arrived and were examining the body. The marine was identified as John Davis, and Ducky concluded that he had been dead over twelve hours and that the cause of death appeared to be a slit throat. The team finished up at the crime scene and returned to headquarters to deliver the evidence to Abby. They spent the rest of the day trying to make some headway on the case, and when they left for home that evening, they had compiled a mental list of what they were to do the following morning.

That evening, Tony and Ziva were sitting in the living room with Aiden and Aaliyah after eating dinner.

"So, did you have fun today?" Ziva asked. Both of the children nodded instantly.

"Yeah, we pet and held puppies," Aaliyah replied.

"Were they cute?" Ziva continued.

"Uh huh," Aaliyah nodded happily.

"So, Daddy and I were talking," Ziva began. "What would you two think about not going to Janice's every day, but going to a place instead where there are a bunch of other kids your age to play with?"

"Kids to play?" Aiden repeated. Ziva nodded.

"Yep. You would have a bunch of kids to play with and you would get to make crafts and listen to story books and all kinds of fun stuff," she explained. Tony and Ziva saw the excitement and interest on Aiden and Aaliyah's faces. "Doesn't that sound fun?"

"Yeah!" Aiden and Aaliyah were exclaiming happily.

"And then when you leave there, you would still get to go to Janice's for a little bit," Ziva finished. She and Tony observed their kids' responses and realized that they seemed very excited about the idea of pre-school.

"It looks like they're okay with the idea," Ziva said later that night as she closed hers and Tony's bedroom door after putting the kids to sleep.

"Yeah," Tony sighed.

"It will be good for them," Ziva said in a reassuring voice as she crossed the room and laid on the bed beside him.

"I know," Tony sighed again.

"Don't worry," Ziva said, rubbing her hand up and down Tony's arm. "We will make sure we find the right school." Tony nodded his agreement.

"I know we will," he said. He still wasn't too thrilled with the idea of enrolling the kids in pre-school, but he was realizing that he would in fact have to give it a try. Ziva laid her head on his shoulder and the two of them fell into a peaceful sleep, anticipating the next few days of work and searching for a pre-school.

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**A/N:** There's the first chapter :) I hope you enjoyed it. Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews and alerts! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or any original characters.

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The next day, after dropping Aiden and Aaliyah off with Janice, Tony and Ziva had arrived at work. Almost simultaneously with the two of them approaching their desks, Gibbs summoned them to follow him. Obediently, they accompanied their boss to the elevator.

"Where are we going, boss?" Tony asked as the elevator door closed.

"Questioning the other marines, DiNozzo," Gibbs replied. The three of them walked to the car and the ride went relatively quickly with Gibbs driving.

"Special Agent Gibbs. NCIS," Gibbs introduced himself to the marine in front of him.

"We've been expecting you, Agent Gibbs," he said. "Come with me." He led the three agents onto the base and directed them to the people they were looking for.

"This is Special Agent Gibbs from NCIS," the marine was saying, gaining the attention of the other men. "I expect you all will give him and his agents your full cooperation in investigating Davis' murder."

Ziva scanned the men. They all looked like typical marines; although they usually did, whether they knew anything about the case or not. While Gibbs was talking to two marines, Ziva slowly walked around, trying to pick up a vibe from any of them. Her eyes fell upon one man who met her eyes then quickly looked downward, then regained eye contact. That was very uncharacteristic, she observed. She walked over to him and introduced herself.

"Shawn Klein," the marine responded with his own name.

"Can you tell me about your relationship with John Davis?" Ziva asked.

"Believe me, ma'am, the only relationship Davis and I had was strictly professional," Klein replied. "And even that we tried to keep to a minimal."

"We did not get along?" Ziva inferred. Tony and Gibbs had reached Ziva's side after talking to several other marines.

"No ma'am," Klein replied shortly.

"Is there any particular reason for that?" Ziva pressed on. She could tell that Klein was struggling internally on how to answer the question.

"Let's go, marine," Gibbs pressured him impatiently. Klein sighed and blurted out his answer.

"He destroyed my marriage," was the reply.

"How so?" Ziva asked.

"My wife. She..." Klein's voice trailed off as he shook his head bitterly.

"She left you for him?" Ziva guessed. Klein's eyes filled with bitterness and hatred for a quick moment, but he hastily covered his emotions.

"No, ma'am," he replied in a semi-strained voice. "She slept with him. She admitted it to me that it happened one time, but I know it has turned into a full out affair."

"How do you know that?" Ziva asked. Klein's jaw tensed up, and his eyes were glistening with hatred as he thought about Davis and his wife.

"I just do," he replied through clenched teeth.

"We're gonna need you to do better than that," Gibbs said. Klein looked back and forth between Gibbs and Ziva before taking a deep breath to cooperate.

"Okay. A few months ago, I noticed Crystal was acting strangely. She wouldn't make eye contact, stuttered a lot, you know, and showed other signs of cheating," Klein began. "I confronted her about it. She admitted that she slept with John Davis once. I assumed that she had been acting strangely toward me because of the guilt, and once she admitted it and we moved past it, I thought things would go back to normal."

"They did not?" Ziva asked. Klein shook his head.

"We never moved past it, ma'am," he replied. "The one hook-up turned into an affair."

"Well that's just an assumption unless you can give us any proof," Tony said, breaking his silence, and annoyed that this marine was refusing to reveal why he thought his wife and Davis were having an affair.

"It's not an assumption, sir," Klein insisted bitterly. "I have driven past his house before and Crystal's car was there when she was allegedly shopping or at the gym or with friends. There have been times when I'd walk into the room she was in and she would be on some secret phone call and would hurry up and hang up when she saw me. She texts a lot and deletes them immediately. She's clearly hiding something from me, and I know it's an affair with Davis." Tony nodded as Ziva wrote down information from their interview.

"Well those certainly are good indications," she observed.

"Yes, ma'am," Klein agreed. "That's why I couldn't stand him."

"You must really have hated him," Ziva concluded. Klein nodded.

"I did ma'am," he admitted. "But I always pride myself on being a marine before anything else. I didn't let my personal feelings for him affect us professionally."

"That's very admirable," Ziva said.

"Yes, ma'am," Klein nodded. It was silent for a moment as Ziva pondered how to ask her big question. It had to be asked.

"Where were you two nights ago when Davis was killed?" she asked. Klein looked stunned. Apparently, he had thought that he had cleared his name.

"You really think I killed him, ma'am?" he asked.

"You did have an awful lot of hatred toward him," Tony pointed out.

"Yeah, but I just told you I keep things professional," Klein said defensively.

"Yes you did," Ziva agreed. "Now, where were you two nights ago when Davis was killed?" Klein shook his head silently, a look of bitterness on his face.

"Working out," he finally replied. Ziva nodded and wrote down his response. "You want witnesses? Right over there." He pointed toward a couple of marines a few feet away. "Are we finished now, ma'am?"

"For now," Ziva replied.

Gibbs, Tony, and Ziva left and were driving back to headquarters discussing what they had learned. It was obvious that Klein had disliked Davis for legit reasons, especially if his wife truly was having an affair. However, the men that Klein had said he was working out with had vouched for him. The case was beginning to get interesting.

"Maybe Klein's wife really was having an affair with Davis," Tony suggested. "Then maybe Davis' house found out about it and killed her husband."

"It's certainly a possibility," Ziva agreed. "Many women have killed their husbands for cheating."

Gibbs parked the car and the three of them arrived back at their desks. Gibbs instructed McGee to get Davis' wife's name and home address. In a matter of seconds, McGee had the information.

"Tony, Ziva," Gibbs began, turning toward them.

"On it, boss," Tony said. He grabbed the car keys, and he and Ziva left to question John Davis' wife.

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**A/N:** There's chapter two! I hope you liked it. Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** I'm glad you're all liking this so far! Enjoy chapter 3!

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or any original characters.

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Tony was driving to Davis' house with Ziva in the passenger seat. As they were driving down one of the main streets of the city that was lined with businesses, Tony couldn't help but notice Ziva paying extra attention out her window.

"Are you looking for anything in particular?" he finally asked. Ziva turned toward him, smiling slightly.

"No," she replied initially. "However, we have passed two pre-schools that we should possibly consider checking out."

"Come on, Ziva," Tony sighed. "You want to discuss this _now_?"

"I do not mean to check them out now," Ziva said. "I just mean that the kids seemed excited about pre-school, and the sooner we find a good one for them, the better."

"We'll find them one, don't worry," Tony said. "But for now, let's just focus on the case."

Ziva nodded and turned her head to continue looking out the window. She knew that Tony was clearly still hesitant about enrolling Aiden and Aaliyah in pre-school, but Ziva was determined to give her children the best life they could have. Starting an education early would definitely put them on the right track. As Tony turned into a residential area of town, Ziva watched as the passed dozens of houses that lined the street. The houses looked very spacious and welcoming. It appeared that the families living in them had plenty of room to raise children. Certainly, the kids would have room to grow and play. Ziva turned her head from the window to look at Tony. She opened her mouth to talk, decided against it, and focused straight ahead on the road.

"Yes?" Tony asked after a moment.

"What?" Ziva asked.

"What's on your mind?" Tony asked. Ziva shrugged.

"It is not about the case," she replied. Tony nodded and was silent for a moment.

"Okay, then what is it?" he asked, curious about what his wife could want to talk about next.

"I was just thinking that maybe it isn't too soon to start thinking about moving into a house," Ziva replied. Tony was startled by her answer, and he didn't hide it well at all.

"A house?" he asked, looking back and forth between the road and his wife.

"Yes," Ziva replied.

"Why?" Tony asked. "And why right now?"

"The twins are already three years old," Ziva began. "A few years from now, they won't be able to share a bedroom anymore. And besides, living in an apartment doesn't give them room to play like if we had a house with a nice yard." Ziva looked over at Tony to try and see if she would receive his approval. He didn't look completely opposed to the idea.

"Do you really think that it's in our budget right now?" he asked. "We're already probably going to be paying for pre-school for them pretty soon." Ziva cocked her eyebrows at his poor excuse.

"We do not need anything too luxurious or anything," she reasoned. "I just want them to have room to play outside. Or even inside. Our apartment was fine for the two of us, and even when they were just babies, but they're growing up. It is going to become way too small very quickly. Don't you think it's time for these changes to happen?"

"I think you're getting excited about the future, and you're trying to make too many changes at once," Tony replied.

"Well I think that maybe you just don't want to accept the fact that change needs to happen," Ziva rebutted.

"Okay," Tony chuckled, shaking his head. "Again I say, let's just try to focus on the case. We'll make our life decisions at a later time." Ziva sighed, realizing her defeat for the time being.

"Here it is," Tony said minutes later as he pulled up to a nice Colonial-style house. Ziva admired the nice landscape and envisioned Aiden and Aaliyah running around the yard. She smiled and pushed the image from her mind as she and Tony walked up the pathway to the front door. A moment after knocking, the door opened, and they were face-to-face with a young, grieving woman.

"Mrs. Davis?" Tony asked. The woman nodded and dabbed her eyes with a tissue. He showed his badge and introduced himself and Ziva before the woman let them inside.

"We just have a few questions for you that may help us solve what happened to your husband," Ziva began gently. Mrs. Davis nodded and led them to the living room.

"Can I get you anything?" she offered through a strained voice. Tony and Ziva both declined and sat on the couch. Mrs. Davis took a seat in the chair opposite them.

"Mrs. Davis-"

"Marie, sorry," she finally introduced herself.

"Marie," Tony corrected himself. "We're really sorry for your loss and can't imagine what you must be going through."

"It's been hard," Marie sniffed. She dabbed her eyes, but Ziva noticed that no tears were present. She noted the suspicion in her head.

"I am sure it has been," Ziva said. "Can you think of anyone who disliked your husband?" Marie shook her head instantly.

"No ma'am," Marie replied in the same strained voice.

"He had no enemies? No one who would have wanted to see him hurt?" Ziva pressed the issue. Marie continued shaking her head.

"Not that I am aware of," she replied. Ziva nodded. "John was a well-liked man. He never hurt anyone, so I can't imagine why someone would want to hurt him."

"Mrs. Davis, we talked to one of your husband's fellow marines," Tony intervened. "Shawn Klein. Did your husband ever mention him to you?" A new emotion flashed in Marie's eyes for a split second, but it was gone before Ziva could place it.

"Never heard of him," Marie replied, shaking her head. Tony nodded and wrote his observations. Marie's eyes widened and she clenched her tissue in her hand. "Do you think he killed my husband?"

"He claims that his wife was having an affair with your husband," Tony replied.

"What?" Marie asked in a timid voice.

"Did you ever have any suspicions that your husband was having an affair?" Ziva asked. Marie shook her head.

"No," she replied. "That's not possible. He wouldn't. Clearly, that man is lying."

"Well he claims that he has seen his wife's car outside of your house numerous times," Ziva continued. Marie continued shaking her head.

"No. He's lying," Marie insisted. "And I think we're finished here." She rose from the chair.

"Mrs. Davis-" Marie raised her hand to interrupt Tony.

"I have heard enough for today," she said. "I would appreciate it if the two of you would leave now." Tony and Ziva nodded and stood to oblige.

"If you think of anything else," Ziva began. Marie nodded that she would call them and showed them to the door.

"Well that was strange," Tony observed after Marie had closed the door.

"Extremely," Ziva agreed.

"Think it all became too much for her?" Tony asked.

"That, or we came too close to finding something out that she doesn't want us to know," Ziva replied. "Something isn't right about her."

Tony shrugged and stepped off the porch onto the sidewalk. The two of them began down the path toward the car, when something caught Ziva's eye. She neared the edge of the sidewalk and squatted down to take a closer look.

"Tony, look at this," she said. Tony went over next to her and looked to where she was pointing. On the very edge of the sidewalk leading to the house, there was a small red spot. It was just barely on the sidewalk and was almost completely covered by the grass.

"It looks like blood," Tony observed.

"That is what I was thinking," Ziva agreed.

"Let's get it to Abby," Tony said. He stood and headed back to the car while Ziva took a swab of it. As she stood from the sidewalk, she turned back to face the house and saw a gap in the living room curtain quickly close and the curtains move slightly back and forth. Slowly, Ziva turned back toward the street to accompany Tony back to headquarters with the new evidence. Maybe this case wouldn't turn out to be so hard after all.

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**A/N:** There's chapter 3. I hope you liked it! Please remember to review!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Hello all! Thanks for being patient with me, and I apologize for the long wait! I promise to make it worth the wait, and I will make the best effort I can to update more regularly! I hope you enjoy this chapter though!

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or any original characters.

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McGee was at his desk avidly checking John Davis' bank accounts for any signs of a possible affair. After Tony and Ziva had returned with the blood sample and suspicion of Marie, their theory of Marie murdering her husband due to an affair sounded more and more plausible. McGee had been sure that he would easily find a large withdrawal or anything to indicate an affair, but so far he had found nothing.

"Whatcha got for me?" Gibbs asked as he entered the bullpen. McGee looked quickly up at his boss, his mouth opening and hoping something suspicious would pop onto his screen.

"Checking Davis' bank records for signs of an affair," he replied. "Nothing so far." Gibbs sighed exasperatedly.

"DiNozzo?" he asked, turning toward his senior field agent.

"According to his credit card company, Davis canceled his card the day before he died," Tony replied. "It could be nothing."

"But it could be something," Gibbs countered. As Gibbs turned toward Ziva, his desk phone began to ring to Ziva's relief; she had not found anything yet either.

"Yeah, Gibbs," he answered. After listening for a few seconds, Gibbs hung his phone up and addressed his team. "Abby's got something." He turned and gestured for the team to follow him down to the scientist's lab.

Upon reaching the sliding doors, the team could hear loud rock music, as always, and saw Abby bustling around her machines. Abby jumped slightly when they entered and was obviously excited to tell them her news.

"What's up, Abbs?" Gibbs asked.

"Well, I-" Abby stopped as she looked at Gibbs' hand and realized it was empty.

"Abby?" Gibbs asked, cocking an eyebrow at her.

"Gibbs?" she returned, cocking an eyebrow of her own. She held his gaze until she felt uncomfortable with the signature Gibbs-stare and decided she would inquire about her missing Caf-Pow later. "I ran the test on the blood Tony and Ziva found at the Davis' house."

"Did you find a match?" Gibbs asked.

"I did," Abby nodded, typing into one of her machines and pulling up the positive match on her big screen. "The blood belonged to John Davis."

"You couldn't say that over the phone, Abby?" Gibbs asked. Abby looked slightly taken aback.

"I haven't got to do much for this case, Gibbs," she explained. "I feel like I'm out of the loop or something."

"You'll never be out of the loop, Abby," Gibbs smiled, holding back his laughter at the scientist's explanation.

"So then he wasn't killed at the pond," McGee observed.

"He was killed at home and then taken to the pond," Tony added thoughtfully.

"Either that or wounded," Gibbs pointed out.

"So let's assume Davis was having an affair with Crystal Klein," Tony began. "He charged all the evidence of the affair onto his credit card, paid off the balance, and canceled it."

"But his wife had already found out by then," Ziva continued. "They had an altercation, and one thing led to another...But how could she get his body to the pond by herself? Certainly he would be too heavy for Marie."

"Unless it was Shawn Klein," McGee suggested. "He had a lot of hatred toward Davis."

While they were piecing together different theories, Ziva's cell phone began to ring. Noticing it was Janice calling, she excused herself and stepped into the hallway while the men continued brainstorming and Abby listened intently.

"Marie Davis definitely couldn't move the body on her own," Tony agreed with what his wife had previously said. Gibbs nodded his agreement.

"Go to Klein's-" Gibbs was interrupted when Ziva rushed back into the lab, a panicked expression on her face.

"Ziva, what's wrong?" Tony asked worriedly.

"That was Janice," she began hurriedly. "She is at the hospital."

"The hospital?" Abby exclaimed. Ziva nodded.

"She was feeding them lunch and Aiden started choking-"

"Go," Gibbs ordered. Tony and Ziva nodded thankfully at him and started for the door.

"Thanks, boss," Tony called over his shoulder.

"Let us know how it goes!" Abby called as the elevator door closed behind them.

Tony drove very quickly to the hospital, speeding the entire way. They arrived at the emergency room within a matter of minutes and nearly ran inside the building. After turning a corner, they saw Janice down the hallway and hurried over to her.

"Janice!" Ziva exclaimed as they reached their babysitter. "What happened? Is he okay?"

"Aiden and Aaliyah were eating lunch. We were just having hotdogs, and I had cut them into bite-size pieces. They were eating in the living room and watching tv, and I was only in the kitchen. One of the pieces slid down Aiden's throat whole, and he started choking on it," Janice explained quickly with tears in her eyes.

"It was scary," Aaliyah piped in quietly from a chair against the wall in the hallway. Tony walked over to his daughter and knelt down in front of her, running a hand through her hair.

"Are you okay, baby girl?" he asked. Aaliyah pulled her knees up close to her chest and rested her chin on top of them.

"She was really shaken up by it," Janice said.

"Aiden was crying and coughing a whole lot," Aaliyah recalled. Tony pulled her into a hug and stood back up with his daughter in his arms.

"Aaliyah started calling for me, and I heard the commotion from Aiden, so I ran into the room and saw what was going on," Janice continued in an anxious voice. "Then I noticed he was choking, and out of instinct I put my finger in his mouth to try and push the piece of hotdog down his throat so he could breathe. I _know_ you're not supposed to do that, but I just reacted!"

"Is he okay?" Ziva asked, the fear very prominent in her voice. Just then, as if to answer Ziva's question, a doctor came out of the room which they were standing in front of.

"Mr. and Mrs. DiNozzo?" he asked.

"Yes," Ziva replied quickly.

"I'm Dr. Hayes," the man introduced himself. "I'm happy to tell you that your son is doing just fine."

"Oh, thank God," Ziva breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Can we go in now?"

"Of course," Dr. Hayes replied. Tony and Ziva thanked him and walked inside the room with Janice following.

"Mommy!" Aiden exclaimed from the bed. The nurse standing beside him looked up and smiled as they entered.

"He's doing fantastic," she smiled. "I'll go get your discharge papers ready, and you'll be good to go." The nurse politely left the room.

"I am so sorry that this happened," Janice said apologetically. Ziva pulled a chair next to the bed and pulled Aiden into her lap, wrapping him in a big hug.

"Accidents happen," she said reassuringly. "I am just glad that he is okay."

"So am I," Janice agreed. "I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if anything had happened to him."

"I know that," Ziva said. "Thank you for handling the situation so well."

Later that night, Tony and Ziva had called Gibbs to tell him that Aiden was okay and to let the rest of the team know. After tucking the kids in for the night, Tony was lying in bed when Ziva entered the bedroom. He could tell that Ziva was still stressed out over everything that was going on, especially the accident from earlier that day. Ziva let out a sigh as she crawled into bed next to her husband and closed her eyes, massaging her temples.

"You okay?" Tony asked her. Ziva was silent for a moment and sighed again before opening her eyes.

"This was a huge wake-up call today, Tony," she said. "We need to get the kids into pre-school."

"Zi, it was an accident; you said so yourself at the hospital," Tony pointed out. "It could have happened to anyone."

"But it happened to us," Ziva said. "I know Janice loves them, and they love her too, but we need to think about Aiden and Aaliyah here. I know that we've sort of been looking around, but we need to get serious about enrolling them somewhere."

"Honey, you're stressed. I think you just need to relax right now and be happy that everything turned out okay," Tony said.

"I am," Ziva replied. "But think about it, Janice was just in the other room and Aiden started choking. What happens if they all leave the apartment to go somewhere, and Janice looks away for a moment and one of them runs out into the street?"

"You don't really think that would happen," Tony stated.

"You never know what could happen," Ziva said. Tony sighed. He knew Ziva was still reacting out of fear, but he also knew she had a great point.

"Okay," he relented. "Tomorrow we will check out pre-schools. For real."

"Thank you," Ziva said, relief in her voice. Tony kissed her good night, and they quickly fell into a deep sleep.

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**A/N:** Well I hope you enjoyed it! Please remember to review!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Ready for chapter 5? Here you go! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or any original characters.

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Tony and Ziva walked inside, and the chimes on the top of the door rang. It was the second pre-school they had planned to look at that day; Ziva had called two schools with top reviews earlier that day at work, and they were using their lunch break to have meetings with each school. As the door closed behind them, they looked around and saw nearly twenty-five children and several adults. The children were playing, so Ziva and Tony assumed that it was play-time.

"Hi, are you Mr. and Mrs. DiNozzo?" asked a smiling blonde woman who was quickly approaching them.

"Yes, I am Ziva, and this is Tony," Ziva replied, shaking the woman's hand.

"I'm Claire. It's so nice to meet you," she said. "So I understand you are looking into enrolling your child here?"

"Children," Tony corrected her.

"We have twins," Ziva explained.

"That's right," Claire recalled. "I remember from the phone call this morning. Sorry, it slipped my mind."

"It's okay," Ziva smiled. "Do you think we can take a look around and get a feel for the place?"

"Absolutely!" Claire replied. "I'll take a few minutes and show you around." Ziva and Tony thanked her and followed her into the building.

The tour was very friendly and informative. Claire showed them the common playroom where the children could all play together and get to know each other. She also showed the different classrooms and introduced them to a few of the other staff members. Throughout the entire process, Tony and Ziva felt very welcome at the school.

"Do you have any questions for me?" Claire asked kindly after showing Tony and Ziva around the building.

"Well, it definitely seems like an option," Tony said.

"Obviously, we will need to know the price of enrollment," Ziva added.

"Of course," Claire agreed and crossed over to a desk. She rummaged through a folder and pulled out a couple of papers before returning to Tony and Ziva. "Here is all the information you will need about our prices, staff, contact information, and enrollment process."

"Thank you very much," Ziva smiled, accepting the papers from Claire.

"Is there anything else I can do for you today?" Claire asked.

"You have been very helpful, but we have to get back to work," Ziva replied.

"Okay, well if you have any more questions, my phone number is on that paper. Feel free to call me about anything," Claire smiled.

"Okay, thank you," Ziva said.

"I hope to hear from you soon," Claire smiled as she walked them to the door. They bid each other goodbye as Tony and Ziva exited the building.

"She seemed nice," Tony observed on the walk to the car.

"Extremely," Ziva agreed. "So did the rest of the staff."

"They seem to be pretty friendly and organized," Tony said. "They definitely seemed more welcoming than the other school." Ziva nodded her agreement as they got in the car and began to drive back to NCIS headquarters.

"We'll look over everything from both schools tonight and see what we can come up with," she said. Tony agreed with her and quickly got them back to work where the team was busily working on the case.

"Where've you two been?" Gibbs asked as Tony and Ziva entered the bullpen.

"Sorry, boss," Tony said. "I guess we lost track of time."

"You guess right, DiNozzo," Gibbs replied, not very angry.

"So what do we got?" Tony asked, getting his mind back on track of the case at hand.

"Ducky found small, what appears to be, fibers on Davis' body," McGee replied from his desk. "Abby's checking to see what they are."

"Already done," came Abby's excited voice as she rounded the corner into the bullpen.

"What'd you find, Abbs?" Gibbs asked. Abby took a quick look at Gibbs' desk, realizing he still had not gotten her a Caf-Pow, before revealing her information.

"Well," she began, "it wasn't hard to tell that the fibers came from a vehicle. I determined that they belong to a Chevrolet Camaro."

"Any idea what year?" McGee asked, already entering data into search engines on his computer.

"At least 2000," Abby replied.

"Checking all 2000 to 2011 Chevy Camaros in the area," McGee stated as his fingers flew over his keyboard. "Got it!"

"Got what, McGee?" Gibbs asked, taking a step toward McGee's desk.

"A 2003 Chevy Camaro," McGee replied. "Proud owner, Crystal Klein."

"Get her in here," Gibbs instructed McGee. "Take Ziva with you." Ziva and McGee quickly left to retrieve Crystal Klein.

A while later, Tony, Ziva, and McGee were watching as Crystal Klein sat anxiously in an interrogation room. She hadn't tried to resist when Ziva and McGee had picked her up, but she kept insisting she didn't do anything wrong. Now she sat nervously in interrogation, waiting for someone to enter, and fidgeting every so often. Finally, Gibbs entered the room and sat across from her, looking her straight in the eye.

"Where were you on the day John Davis was killed?" he began bluntly. Crystal was obviously shocked by the question.

"I was, uh, at work," she replied. Gibbs said nothing, but his face showed that he wasn't convinced. "I can give you the phone number, and they'll prove it to you."

"I'll need you to do that," Gibbs said. He paused for a moment, letting Crystal sweat a bit more. "What was your relationship with John Davis?"

"What do you mean?" Crystal asked, taken aback by the question.

"Your husband says you admitted to him that you were unfaithful to him with Davis," Gibbs clarified and waited for her response.

"Well my husband is full of shit and is trying to make me look like a cheater," Crystal said defensively.

"What would he gain from doing that?" Gibbs asked.

"He's the one who cheats on me, Agent..." Crystal trailed off, not knowing the name of her interrogator.

"Gibbs," he filled in.

"Agent Gibbs," Crystal finished. "Haven't you heard that people who cheat on their partner actually often accuse their partner of cheating on them? Usually it's to make them feel better about themselves and to justify their unfaithfulness."

"Is that what's going on here?" Gibbs asked.

"It's gotta be," Crystal replied, not catching on the what Gibbs meant. He chuckled for a moment.

"Mrs. Klein, have you or have you not had sex with John Davis at some point in the recent past?" Gibbs asked, rapidly becoming frustrated. He studied Crystal's face and knew that he was slowly breaking her down.

"Okay, one time," Crystal reluctantly admitted. "And I told Shawn about it."

"So then why did you lie to me?" Gibbs asked.

"I didn't!" Crystal exclaimed. "I slept with John one time, and I was completely honest with Shawn about it. Then, he got all pissed off and started cheating on me! But I swear I had nothing to do with John's death, Agent Gibbs." Tears were quickly welling up in the woman's eyes, and Gibbs remained silent for a moment while Crystal blinked her tears away.

"Mrs. Klein, your husband expressed concern with us that you were having an affair with John Davis," Gibbs stated. Crystal's eyes widened in fear.

"That's not true!" she exclaimed.

"Your husband says he often drives past the Davis house and sees your car parked in front of it. He also told us that you have a lot of secret phone calls that you quickly end when he enters the room, and you delete all of your text messages instantly," Gibbs explained. "Sounds like an affair to me."

"I, but, uh," Crystal stuttered, the tears coming back to her eyes. "Okay, what does it matter if I was cheating on my husband? I didn't kill John!" Gibbs sighed and decided to take a different route.

"What kind of car do you drive?" he asked.

"A 2003 Chevrolet Camaro," Crystal replied, puzzled. "Why?"

"Fibers from your car were found on Davis' body," Gibbs replied.

"That's not possible," Crystal insisted. "Go to my house and check the carpet of my car yourself! It isn't true, Agent Gibbs. I did not kill anyone!" Gibbs sighed, stood from the table, and joined his team in the observation room.

"What do you think, boss?" Tony asked when his frustrated boss closed the door to the observation room.

"She's hiding more than she's telling me," Gibbs sighed.

"You think Crystal killed Davis?" Tony asked. They turned toward the glass and watched Crystal nervously fidgeting again.

"I think she was involved somehow," Gibbs replied. "I just don't know how."

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**A/N:** You're one chapter closer to finding out the killer! I hope you enjoyed this! Please remember to review!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Thanks for all the reviews and alerts! Here's chapter 6!

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or any original characters. I only own what I make up.

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Later that night, Tony and Ziva were laying in bed after putting Aiden and Aaliyah to sleep. They had gotten home from work relatively later than usual, and they hadn't had a lot of time to spend with their kids before putting them to bed, so they hadn't told the twins about the school they had found. Ziva and Tony knew Aiden and Aaliyah would be excited though.

"I can't believe our babies are growing up so quickly," Ziva sighed, resting her head on Tony's shoulder.

"I know," he agreed.

"Do you think they will adjust well to pre-school?" Ziva asked.

"I don't think it will be too much of a problem," Tony replied. "But we'll find out next week." Ziva nodded. When they had called the pre-school back, they were told that they were able to enroll Aiden and Aaliyah the following week once completing all the paperwork and registration.

"I hope they like it," Ziva sighed. It was silent for a while as Tony and Ziva laid awake together. Tony's mind was on everything Ziva had been saying recently, pre-school, a house...the changes she was excited to make.

"So I've thought more about looking for a house like you suggested," he said. He felt Ziva perk up at his words.

"What did you decide?" she asked, remembering that her husband had not seemed too excited about the idea earlier.

"Well," Tony sighed. "I think you're right. This apartment is going to become way too small very quickly. We'll need to move into a house eventually, why not get a head-start looking?"

"Are you serious?" Ziva asked. She didn't want to sound too eager, but she had been visualizing raising their children in a spacious house for quite a while.

"Yes," Tony replied. "We can call a realtor tomorrow if you'd like." Ziva smiled happily.

"Okay," she agreed. "What made you change your mind?"

"I just want to see you happy," he replied. "You know I'd do anything for you." Ziva nodded and traced her thumb over the scar on Tony's upper arm where he had taken a bullet a few years back to prove just that. She smiled and let sleep overtake her, ready to face the next big change in their lives.

The next day, Tony and Ziva dropped the kids off with Janice before heading to work. When they arrived, McGee was already hard at work, typing away on his computer. Tony and Ziva each dropped their things at their respective desks and sat down, ready to get to work.

"Whatcha up to, McGee?" Tony inquired of their coworker who had not acknowledged their arrival.

"Tracing Crystal Klein's phone records," McGee replied without looking up. Just then, Gibbs rounded the corner, coffee in hand.

"Find anything?" he asked.

"I've got Crystal Klein's cell phone record up now," McGee replied. "Here's a repeated number. This person has called her multiple times this week. It keeps going back several weeks actually."

"Who is it?" Gibbs demanded.

"Give me just a second," McGee mumbled while finding out the information. "Got it!"

"Davis?" Tony asked.

"Oh, it's a Davis all right. But not John," McGee replied, his eyebrows raised in surprise. "The number is Marie Davis' cell."

"The widow?" Ziva asked, puzzled.

"Why would Marie Davis be calling the woman her husband was having an affair with?" Tony asked.

"We're going to find out," Gibbs said. "Get her in here."

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**A/N:** There's chapter 6! I hope you enjoyed it. Please remember to review!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews and alerts! Here's chapter 7!

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or any original characters.

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Gibbs and his team were standing in observation watching an anxious-looking Marie Davis. She had been rather frustrated when the agents arrived at her house again, this time to bring her down to headquarters, but she hadn't tried resisting. The team was now observing her, trying to see how she was reacting as she sat alone, waiting to see what was in store for her.

"Marie Davis," Tony said as he entered the interrogation room, closing the door behind him and taking a seat across from the suspect.

"Have there been new developments in my husband's case?" Marie asked.

"You could say that," Tony shrugged, holding back a smirk. "Mrs. Davis, I'm going to give you a chance to tell me anything at all that you may have forgotten or neglected to tell me before that may pertain to your husband's death. I highly suggest you take advantage of this opportunity."

"I..." Marie sat with her mouth gaping open, her eyes darting back and forth as she tried to think of something to say. "I don't know what you want from me. I had nothing to do with anything, and I've already told you everything I know."

"Really?" Tony asked. Marie nodded. "Well, you blew your chance."

"I don't-"

"You remember when we asked you about Shawn Klein?" Tony began.

"Yes," Marie replied. "I also remember telling you that I've never met him...and I haven't." Tony could see the frustration in her eyes which were, suspiciously, not red at all and showed no signs of recent crying or grieving.

"Well, you may very well have never met him, but you do know his wife," Tony said. Marie furrowed her brow, clearly confused.

"And you know that how?" she asked.

"Why don't you tell me about your relationship with Crystal Klein first," Tony continued, ignoring Marie's question.

"We're...friends," she replied slowly. Tony nodded, writing her response, and hiding his confusion about the cautiousness of her answer.

"You're friends with Crystal Klein?" he repeated. Marie nodded her head.

"Yes," she replied. "Why is this relevant?"

"Because if you were really friends with Crystal Klein, you'd have more of a problem with the fact that she was having an affair with your husband," Tony replied.

"This again?" Marie nearly exclaimed, not trying to hide her annoyance. "I told you John wasn't cheating on me."

"Yes, but Crystal Klein told us otherwise," Tony countered. There was a long pause from Marie, and the interrogation room was silent.

"What?" she asked quietly.

"Mrs. Klein admitted to having sex with your husband," Tony explained. "She then eluded to the fact that it became an affair."

"I don't believe you," Marie insisted, shaking her head.

"Of course you do," Tony said. "You just want to try not to."

"You're ridiculous," Marie spat, folding her arms across her chest. "My husband was a marine. He _served_ this country and put his life on the line so that the likes of _you_ could be free, and you want to thank him by pinning adultery on him?"

"No," Tony replied. "I want to thank him by doing my job and solving his murder. Bringing his murderer to justice."

"Then why don't you focus on that instead of trying to convince me of an affair that wasn't happening?" Marie asked sternly.

"All right," Tony said calmly, a smirk crossing his face. "You want me to solve your husband's murder? I'll do you one better. I'll tell you what happened right now."

"You already know?" Marie asked, her eyes widening. She watched as Tony opened a folder he had brought in with him and pulled out a piece of paper, laying it in front of her.

"This is Crystal Klein's phone record," he explained. "And this is your phone number." He indicated to the many phone calls that Marie Davis had made to Crystal Klein over the past several weeks.

"This is irrelevant," Marie said, shaking her head. "I thought you were telling me how my husband was murdered."

"I don't have to," Tony said. "You already know."

"What are you saying?" Marie demanded.

"I'm not the first person you've heard the news about Crystal's affair with your husband from," Tony explained. "You found out about it and were pissed. All these phone calls from you to Crystal were to harass her and try to make her stay away from your husband."

"No," Marie insisted, adamantly shaking her head.

"You were harassing her, and then, blinded by hurt and anger, you killed your husband for being unfaithful," Tony concluded.

"That's not true!" Marie exclaimed. "They weren't having an affair. I wasn't harassing her. Those phone calls were because we're friends; we talk on the phone!"

"I don't call my friends nearly that often," Tony said, gesturing toward the phone record.

"That doesn't make it harassment," Marie said. "And it doesn't make me a murderer." There was another long pause as Tony stared into the eyes of this woman. The frustration was gone from her gaze, and it had been replaced with pure hatred. Her words were spoken with venom in them, and Tony knew he was close to finding out the truth.

"If you have nothing to hide, you won't mind if we search your house," he said. Marie let out a long breath but didn't remove her eyes from Tony's.

"You're not going in my house without a warrant," she hissed.

"That, Mrs. Davis, will be arranged," Tony smiled before standing from the table and exiting the interrogation room.

"That was getting rather heated," Ziva said as Tony entered the observation room.

"I know," he agreed. "She's hiding something still. There's gotta be something at that house she doesn't want us to find."

"Then find it," Gibbs said. Tony nodded, and he and Ziva left, ready to solve this case as soon as possible.

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**A/N:** There's chapter 7! I hope you liked it. Please remember to review and let me know what you think!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Thanks for all the reviews and alerts! I'm glad you're all liking it so far. Enjoy chapter 8!

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or any original characters. I only own who I make up.

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Later in the afternoon, after obtaining the search warrant that Marie Davis had demanded, Tony and Ziva arrived at the Davis household to investigate. Tony was very convinced that Marie had killed her husband, but unfortunately, gut instincts are not enough to obtain a conviction. He and Ziva had no idea what they may or may not find at that house. After all, if Marie had killed her husband, she had had plenty of time to dispose of any evidence left at the house. As the entered the house, Tony and Ziva just hoped that they could find something to make Marie confess.

"I'll take the downstairs," Ziva offered. Tony nodded and headed for the staircase.

Ziva began her search in the living room, as it is the room the front entrance opened into. She searched every inch of the walls and crawled on the floor to inspect the carpet. She could find nothing. Ziva looked closely at the furniture and still saw nothing suspicious or out of place. She continued her search into the dining room. The dining room was a much quicker search; there was no evidence on the walls, carpet, or table. She then made a quick inspection of the half-bathroom before finishing her search in the kitchen where she still could find nothing.

Upstairs, Tony had the same lack of luck. He searched both spare bedrooms, the full-bathroom, master bedroom, and master suite. His search was as in depth as Ziva's; inspecting the walls and carpet of every room as well as the hallway. There was nothing to be found. Tony tried to suppress the small feeling of defeat that was starting to make its appearance as he went back downstairs to rejoin Ziva.

"Find anything?" he asked hopefully as he turned the corner into the kitchen.

"No," Ziva replied shaking her head as she stood from the floor where she had been kneeling.

"Well," Tony sighed. "If anything did happen here, Marie did a great job of cleaning it up."

"There has got to be something," Ziva said. "John Davis' blood was on the sidewalk outside. He had to have been injured somewhere."

"I know," Tony agreed. It was silent for a moment while they both went over the evidence in their minds. Then, a light bulb turned on in Tony's mind. They had been assuming that Davis was injured inside and then transported to the car and dumped in the pond. Maybe they hadn't found anything inside because nothing happened inside. "Let's check outside."

"You think that Marie and her husband got into a dispute over the affair outside, and she happened to have a knife with her?" Ziva asked.

"I think that the argument may have started inside, but then John left the house, Marie grabbed a knife and followed him outside where the fight continued. Then, she slit his throat and disposed of the body," Tony explained. He saw in Ziva's eyes as she thought the explanation over, decided it was possible, and followed him back through the living room and out the front door.

"You take the left side, I'll take the right side," Tony called as he headed toward the bushes that lined the house. Ziva went the opposite way and began another search. After several minutes of searching through shrubs and plants, Ziva finally saw something suspicious.

"Tony!" she called, standing up from the ground. Tony jogged over to where his wife was standing.

"What?" he asked. Ziva pointed behind a bush near the corner of the house, and Tony knelt down, reached through the bristles, and picked up a dirty, stained plastic grocery bag. He stood back up next to Ziva and untied the knot that had tied the bag shut.

"Well look at that," he sighed. He reached his gloved hand into the bag and pulled out a blood-stained knife.

"The murder weapon," Ziva observed, breathing a sigh of relief and accomplishment.

"Probably," Tony agreed, putting it back in the bag. "Let's get it checked out to be sure." He and Ziva quickly returned to NCIS headquarters and took the evidence to Abby who gladly accepted the task of running the DNA.

While Abby was working her magic, Tony went back upstairs to fill Gibbs in on what was happening. To Tony's surprise, he found Gibbs still in the observation room he had been in when Tony and Ziva had left. McGee was no longer in the room, but Gibbs was standing near the glass, keeping an eye on Marie, and sipping his coffee.

"Boss?" Tony asked as he entered.

"Did you find anything?" Gibbs asked.

"I think we found the murder weapon," Tony replied.

"You think?" Gibbs repeated.

"Abby's running the blood to make sure," Tony replied. Gibbs nodded and sipped his coffee.

"It's been six hours," Gibbs observed.

"It took us a little longer to get the warrant than we'd expected," Tony explained. "Then it took us a long time to find anything at the house. We searched every inch of it, high and low."

"Where was it?" Gibbs asked, referring to the knife.

"In a grocery bag in the bushes outside," Tony replied. Gibbs nodded, taking another drink of coffee.

"I've been watching her," Gibbs said, motioning at the glass between them and Marie Davis. "She isn't showing any signs of guilt."

"You don't think she did it, boss?" Tony asked, slightly perplexed.

"I didn't say that," Gibbs said. "But she hasn't shown any guilt while she's been sitting there. She's been getting progressively anxious from sitting in there for so long, but there's no guilt in her eyes. It should be eating her up. So either she didn't do it, or she did it and feels absolutely no remorse for killing her husband."

"She doesn't look like a cold-blooded killer," Tony said.

"They usually don't, DiNozzo," Gibbs said, bringing the coffee to his mouth again and taking a long drink. Just then, Gibbs' cell phone began to ring.

"Yeah, Gibbs," he answered. "All right, thanks Abbs."

"Well?" Tony asked hopefully.

"Blood matches Davis," Gibbs replied. "But there's no fingerprints on the weapon."

"Damn gloves," Tony sighed. He was shocked by a head-slap from his boss.

"You found the weapon with his blood. That on top of everything else you have against her will force her to confess if she really did it," Gibbs said. "She's not going to think of the fingerprints."

"Right. Sorry, boss. It's been a long day," Tony apologized.

"Well, then, get in there and end it," Gibbs ordered. Tony nodded and headed toward the door. Ziva and McGee reentered as Tony left. Marie jumped when Tony opened the door of the interrogation room.

"Jumpy?" Tony asked with a smile.

"I wasn't expecting you to come back," Marie replied. "I've been sitting here for hours."

"I know," Tony said. "I've been out searching your house, and I've gotta tell you, you did an excellent job of cleaning up the place."

"There was nothing to clean up," Marie said firmly.

"Oh, so it happened outside?" Tony asked, sitting across from her.

"What?" Marie asked confused. "You said you found nothing. I'd like to leave now."

"I didn't say that, and we're not done here," Tony said.

"What else would you like to try and force me to confess to?" Marie sighed, exasperated.

"Still just the murder of your husband," Tony replied. "Come on, Marie, I know you did it."

"You're wrong," Marie insisted again.

"We have the murder weapon," Tony said. Marie's eyes widened and the color drained from her face.

"You have the weapon that killed my husband?" she asked.

"Yes, we have the weapon that _you used_ to kill your husband," Tony replied. "Found it in a grocery bag in the bushes."

"And you probably assume I put it there," Marie said.

"Well, it's definitely not looking good for you," Tony replied. "We have plenty of evidence against you."

"You have nothing that puts me at the crime scene," Marie exclaimed. "My DNA's not there! And if your theory were true and I killed him at home, how did I get him to the pond where _you told me_ he was found?"

"You have the motive," Tony said sternly. "Your husband was cheating on you! We have the phone records of you harassing Crystal Klein about the affair, and most importantly, the knife that was covered in your husband's blood was found outside your house! That's good enough evidence to make it to court."

"No!" Marie cried as tears began to fall from her eyes. "I didn't do it." Tony sat silently for a moment while Marie began to sob.

"It's time for you to just confess," he finally said calmly.

"I won't confess to murder when I didn't do it," Marie said.

"If you didn't do it, then who do you think did?" Tony asked.

"What?" Marie asked, puzzled.

"Yeah, if you're so adamant that you didn't kill your husband, why should I believe you? Who would have done it?" Tony repeated. Marie's eyes darted around the room again as her mind raced with thoughts.

"Well, John had a disagreement with our next door neighbor a few days ago," she replied.

"And you think it could have led to the death of your husband?" Tony sighed, wishing he could have just extracted a confession and ended the case, and seriously doubting this neighbor killed John Davis.

"It's possible," Marie replied. "Anyone is more likely to have killed him than I am." Tony sighed and stood from the table to leave the room.

"We've got a stubborn one," Tony said as he entered observation and joined the team.

"She's got some good points though," Gibbs said. "Her DNA isn't at the crime scene."

"Are you starting to believe her?" Tony asked in disbelief.

"I believe what I see, DiNozzo," Gibbs replied. "And I'm seeing you _wanting_ her to be guilty."

"Boss, she _is_," Tony insisted. "Did you see how pale she got? How defensive she got? And how she suddenly remembered an argument between her husband and a neighbor?"

"Well if that in there was acting, she deserves an Oscar," Gibbs replied. "People can't fake that. I've seen a lot of people fake emotions, and that wasn't faked." Tony shook his head in disbelief and sighed in annoyance.

"What are we going to do now, then?" he asked.

"We're going to let her go," Gibbs replied.

"What?" Tony protested.

"DiNozzo, it's time to let it go," Gibbs said. "We can't charge her with anything; we have to let her go."

"Fine," Tony said shortly.

"McGee and I are going to go have a talk with the neighbor, and you and Ziva are going home," Gibbs concluded.

"Home?" Tony repeated, looking at his watch and seeing it was only 3:00.

"Yeah," Gibbs repeated sternly. "Take a break from the case, and lose your attitude. Come back tomorrow." Tony wanted to protest further, but he knew it was in his best interest to just obey what Gibbs told him to do.

"Okay," he relented. Gibbs nodded and left the room with McGee.

"We will solve it," Ziva said reassuringly. Tony sighed and ran his right hand through his hair. He had never disagreed so strongly with Gibbs. Could it really be that Tony was focusing too much on proving that Marie was guilty, that he was overlooking the fact that she may in fact be innocent? Could he be missing something that Gibbs was seeing? Or, could it be that this time Gibbs' gut feeling about the case was wrong?

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**A/N:** I hope you enjoyed chapter 8! Any guesses on what is going to happen? I'd be interested to hear your theories! Please remember to review and let me know what you think so far!


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Thanks for all the reviews and alerts! I know I'm updating a lot, but I'm so excited to finish this story and continue with the rest of the series :) It's going to be 5 stories long now. I'm glad everyone is enjoying this so far, and I hope you like this chapter as well!

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or any original characters.

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Tony and Ziva were walking toward the elevator to go home for the night. It was only a little after 3:00, and Tony was annoyed that Gibbs had ordered them to take the rest of the day off. Admittedly, maybe Tony shouldn't have been to stubborn and should have approached interrogation with Marie with an open mind. But he just couldn't shake the feeling that Gibbs was wrong and that Marie was truly guilty. As he and Ziva stepped into the elevator, he saw Gibbs and McGee escorting Marie Davis out. Tony clenched his teeth together so he wouldn't protest further and pressed the button to close the elevator door. Gibbs and McGee had just entered the squad room with Marie, so it wouldn't appear that Tony was intentionally making them wait for the next elevator, but Tony knew there was no way he could have ridden with the woman whom he believed was guilty of murder.

"I have a missed called," Ziva observed quietly, pulling out her cell phone. She checked her voicemail as they walked to their car. "It was the realtor. She says she has three houses she wants to show us."

"Call her back," Tony sighed. It was, after all, not the end of business hours, so they might as well see about looking at the houses today while they had free time. Ziva did return the realtor's phone call while she and Tony sat in the parking lot of NCIS. While Ziva was on the phone, Tony watched in the rear view mirror as Marie Davis exited the building and entered a dark blue car that had just pulled into the parking lot. It was driven by a young woman that Tony had never seen before, presumably Marie's friend or relative.

"She has time to show us the houses yet today," Ziva said as she hung up her phone, bringing Tony's attention back inside their own car. "We just need to meet her at the first one. She gave me the address."

"Okay," Tony said, looking at the address Ziva had written down whilst on the phone. He turned on the car and left the parking lot, having lost sight of where Marie had gone, but knowing that she was free.

After Tony and Ziva had left for the day, Gibbs and McGee left as well to go and question the Davis' next door neighbor. They arrived outside of the house and went up to knock on the door. When the door opened, they were facing a man easily in his fifties. He had graying hair and was balding on top. The man also wore glasses and stood right around Gibbs' height. He wore a simple t-shirt and jeans and looked rather puzzled when Gibbs introduced himself and McGee as NCIS agents.

"What can I do for you, sir?" the man asked from the doorway.

"May we come in?" Gibbs asked in return. The man nodded and stepped aside to allow entrance, closing the door behind the agents. He led them into the living room which was furnished with nice, expensive-looking furniture and offered them a seat on the couch.

"What is this about?" the man asked.

"What is your name, sir?" Gibbs asked the man.

"Henry Bachman," the man replied.

"Mr. Bachman, how long have you lived beside John and Marie Davis?" Gibbs asked.

"I've lived here for thirty-seven years. They moved in about three years ago maybe," Henry replied after a moment of thought.

"Do you get along with them?" Gibbs asked. Henry shrugged.

"We don't really communicate regularly," he replied. "When we happen to see each other outside, yeah, we're civil."

"Do you ever argue?" Gibbs asked.

"I wouldn't say so," Henry replied, shaking his head.

"Mr. Bachman, are you aware that John Davis was killed?" McGee stepped in.

"I saw it in the obituaries," Henry replied sadly. "It's a sad thing, a young woman having to bury her husband at that age. I was fifty-two when I laid my wife to rest, and it was painful enough then. I can't imagine what it must be like for Marie."

"Burying a loved one is always hard," McGee agreed. "Mr. Bachman, we have a claim that you and John Davis had a dispute a few days ago before his death. Can you tell us anything about that?"

"A dispute?" Henry repeated, genuinely confused. "I can assure you, Agent McGee, the only contact I've had with John Davis within the past week was when I walked outside and asked him to turn his stereo down. He was working on his car in his garage and had his stereo cranked up so loud I could hear it inside my house as if I were at a rock concert. He apologized and turned the music down in a heartbeat. That hardly constitutes as a dispute."

"Is that all?" McGee asked, knowing that was nothing that would lead to murder. Henry nodded.

"Son, I'm fifty-seven years old. I'm a retired high school history teacher, and I have four grandchildren," Henry said with a smile. "I mind my own business and respect my neighbors. There's no reason for me to go around trying to cause problems with anyone."

"Thank you for your time," Gibbs said, standing. "We're finished here." He shook Henry's hand and led McGee to the door.

"I hope you find what you need," Henry said as the agents stepped onto the porch. "John's family deserves closure as soon as they can get it." Gibbs nodded, bid the man a good evening, and returned to the car with McGee.

"What do you think, boss?" McGee asked once they were on their way back to headquarters.

"He had nothing to do with any of it," Gibbs sighed.

"So now what do we do?" McGee asked.

"Look harder," Gibbs replied shortly. McGee nodded his understanding and was silent the rest of the way back to work.

Meanwhile, Tony and Ziva just pulled up out front of the third and final house that the realtor wanted to show them that day. The first two had been nice, very nice in fact, but only slightly out of their budget. As they pulled up to the third house, Ziva instantly fell in love. The house was two stories high, built with white paneling and stone accents at the doorway. It had a large front porch that extended along the entire front of the house. The front yard was rather spacious, and Ziva knew she could do some beautiful landscaping.

"This is gorgeous," Ziva said. Tony nodded and opened his car door as Martha, the realtor, walked toward their car. Ziva exited quickly as well.

"I hope you like this one," Martha said. "It's the last one I have for you today."

"I think we like it so far," Ziva smiled.

"Yes, it has wonderful curb appeal," Martha agreed. "Let me take you inside." Ziva turned to her left to admire the large yard, and a car at the end of the block caught her attention as it turned right. She could have sworn that she'd seen that car at every stop they'd made since leaving work...But, then again, several people around DC drive similar cars. She brushed it off and joined Martha and Tony on the walk to the porch.

"Obviously, this is a very large porch. A porch swing would be wonderful here," Martha said as she opened the screen door and unlocked the house. She opened the door and led Tony and Ziva into a small foyer and showed them the coat closet on the right. She then continued the tour into an open area. "Over here to the right we have the living room." Tony and Ziva followed her through the open doorway which led to the living room.

"This is a really nice view," Ziva said, walking toward the picture window that faced the front yard.

"And it has a fireplace," Tony added.

"It's kind of on the smaller side, compared to the living room of the first house I showed you, but where the first living room had more space, this one make up for it with the cozy fireplace," Martha said. "Now I'll show you the dining room." She led them back through the doorway and back into the open area off the foyer. The dining room was directly across from the living room and also had a nice picture window facing the front yard.

"Another nice view," Ziva noticed.

"Yes," Martha agreed. "And this nice chandelier will light up the room quite well. There's plenty of room for a nice sized dining room table, and that side wall is ideal placement for a china cabinet if you have one."

"I do like the size of it," Tony said.

"Me too," Ziva agreed. "And look, it is connected to the kitchen."

"Let me take you right through here," Martha continued. She led them through the open doorway that connected the dining room to the kitchen and stopped in the middle of the room. "This kitchen is slightly larger than the second house's kitchen, but still smaller than the first house's."

"It has a nice breakfast nook in this corner, as well as room for bar stools at the counter," Ziva pointed out.

"Plenty of space for all the necessary appliances," Martha added. "And look at the nice, hard wood floors."

"It is smaller than the first kitchen, but I definitely think it would be large enough," Ziva said.

"Great," Martha smiled. "Let's continue on through here." She led them off to the right through another open doorway that led back into the open space off of the foyer. "Here under the staircase is a nice half-bathroom." She turned on the light so that Tony and Ziva could briefly look at it.

"So far so good," Tony nodded.

"Would you like to see the family room next or go on upstairs?" Martha asked.

"Let's just finish the first floor first," Tony replied. Martha obliged and led them around the staircase to another open doorway behind the living room. They walked into a large, carpeted family room with French-style doors that led onto a back porch, ideal for cook-outs.

"This would be a great place for Aiden and Aaliyah to play," Ziva said. Tony nodded his agreement.

"Absolutely," Martha agreed. "This room is definitely one of the house's best qualities. It's so spacious, and it allows you to turn the front living room into more of a formal room if that interests you. This can be your laid back family room, your kids' toy room, there are so many possibilities."

"I really like it so far," Ziva said.

"Great," Martha smiled. "Let's go check out the upstairs." Martha led them back out of the family room and back into the open area. They walked around the the front of the wide staircase that faced the foyer and Martha led them upstairs. The top of the staircase emptied into the middle of the hallway, and Martha took the off to the left first. She stopped in the hallway.

"I really like how this is set up," Martha began. "The top of the staircase is centered in the middle of the hallway, and the banister extends about six feet from either side of the staircase, so it really adds to the open feeling of the house. Here on the left is where the master suite is, and down the right wing of the hallway are the other two bedrooms and full bathroom. So, once you come up the stairs, it's like the left side is your half and the right side is the kids' half."

"I like it too," Ziva agreed. "That's a really nice layout. What do you think?" She turned to look at her husband.

"I like the house too, but let's wait and see what the price is," Tony replied, not wanting Ziva to get her hopes up. It was a great house, but it had to be within their budget.

"Well, let's look at the master suite," Martha continued, opening the door. Inside, the large room had white carpeting across the entire floor. Ziva's mouth dropped as she stood in the center of the room and looked around. Along the back wall was another set of French-style doors that opened onto a small, intimate balcony. The room was equipped with a walk-in closet as well.

"This is wonderful," Ziva said.

"This is the master bath," Martha continued, turning on the light of the bathroom. It was the type of bathroom Ziva was expecting, nothing extravagant, but she was more than impressed with the balcony.

"If you recall," Martha began, "the second house had a jacuzzi-style tub in the master bath."

"That would be nice, but it is not a necessity," Ziva replied. "And I really like the size of this room, the closet, and definitely the balcony." Tony nodded his agreement as well.

"Excellent," Martha smiled. "Let me show you the kids' end of the hall." Martha led them down the hallway and showed them the other two bedrooms which were nearly equal in size and would work perfectly for Aiden and Aaliyah. The bedrooms were across from each other, and next to one of them was the full bathroom that they would have to share.

"This was a great house," Ziva said as they walked outside onto the front porch after the tour.

"But what's the price on it?" Tony asked.

"Well," Martha began. "It has been on the market for a little longer than the other two I showed you, so the owner lowered the asking price. It _is_ within your budget." Ziva felt relief flood her body, knowing that Tony would be more likely to go for this house than the other two.

"All right, well we'll talk it over and let you know," Tony said.

"Thank you so much," Ziva said. They both shook Martha's hand and returned to their car. As they were driving home, Ziva noticed out the passenger-side mirror that the car she had seen previously that day was three cars behind them. They pulled into their apartment complex, and Ziva watched through the mirror as the car drove on past. It had to have been a coincidence.

"Let's go get the kids," Tony said, exiting the car. They had called Janice and told her where they were going to be, and she had agreed to watch Aiden and Aaliyah until Tony and Ziva had returned from house hunting.

"It's strange," Ziva said.

"What's strange?" Tony asked.

"I swear I've seen the same car four times today," Ziva replied. "Once driving past at each house we stopped at, and on the way home."

"Whose car was it?" Tony asked.

"I don't know," Ziva replied. "I didn't recognize it, and I couldn't tell who was in it."

"It was probably nothing," Tony said. "Tons of people own similar cars, and they could have all been different cars. It's nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, you are probably right," Ziva replied. "Let's go get the kids." They walked from the parking lot and went to pick up Aiden and Aaliyah, happy to finally be home again with their children.

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**A/N:** Well, I hope you enjoyed it. Please remember to review!


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** Thanks for all the reviews and alerts :) I'm glad you're liking it so far! And don't worry, all the mysteries will be solved, and all of your questions will be answered! If not in this chapter, then definitely coming up soon :)

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or any original characters.

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The next day at work, each team member was sitting at their respective desk trying to piece the different aspects of the case together. The only person missing was Gibbs who was presumably refilling his coffee. McGee sat at his desk, typing away, as Tony and Ziva each looked through paperwork of their own. The complexity of the case was growing; everyone they interviewed had something different to say, and a lot of it wasn't lining up. They certainly didn't appear close to locking up John Davis' killer.

Outside, the sun was shining brightly in the clear, blue sky. Ziva glanced out the window and wished she was with Tony and their children, in the park enjoying the nice day as a family. Instead, she sat at her desk hoping to make sense of the case that had been troubling them for several days. She sighed, trying to make herself focus on finding the killer. The sooner this was solved, the sooner she could have time back for her children.

Across from his wife, Tony had similar thoughts. He wanted the case to be over as well. However, he couldn't stop thinking that they had previously let the killer go free. He felt so strongly that Marie Davis was involved, but for some reason, he and Gibbs were on different pages. Ordinarily, Tony would go along with whatever his boss said because Gibbs' gut feeling tended to be correct. This time, though, it was different. Tony and Gibbs each had their own gut feelings, and they strongly differed from one another. Finally, Tony laid the paperwork down and opened his mouth to speak. Ziva and McGee's attention was drawn to him, and they waited for him to say what was on his mind.

"Yes?" McGee asked, curious about the pensive look on his coworker's face.

"It's gotta be Marie," Tony stated. Ziva and McGee waited for an explanation, but Tony said nothing further, though they could tell his mind was racing.

"Why?" Ziva asked.

"If her husband had been having this affair, there's no way Marie wouldn't have know," he began. "From the sounds of it, Crystal wasn't trying too hard to keep it a secret. Marie had to have known and killed her husband for being unfaithful."

"I don't know," McGee said. "Marie has been seeming pretty convincing. Maybe she really didn't know."

"Or maybe she just wouldn't let herself believe it, so she convinced herself it wasn't true," Ziva added.

"The bloody knife was at their house," Tony continued.

"Anyone could have left it there," McGee countered.

"But have you paid attention to her interrogations?" Tony asked.

"Yes..." McGee said slowly, a confused expression on his face. "She is very adamant about the fact that she was not involved in the killing of her husband."

"But she's not grieving properly," Tony said.

"What exactly is the proper way to grieve when your husband was killed?" Ziva asked, cocking her head to the right.

"She likes to act like she's crying, but there are never any tears," Tony pointed out. "Think about it. It's an act."

"Well then she's a good actress," McGee scoffed.

"It could happen," Tony defended himself. "It's an act. She wants us to think she's upset and grieving so that we'll believe she's innocent. Then she sends us on wild goose chases, like her neighbor who supposedly had some dispute with her husband. Meanwhile, she's probably sitting back enjoying the fact that we're running around questioning innocent people while she's getting off the hook."

"Don't you think that's kind of a stretch?" McGee asked.

"No, I don't," Tony replied. "I think that's exactly what's going on."

"Well I think Gibbs would believe Crystal killed Davis before Marie would," McGee said.

"And what do you believe?" Tony asked. McGee took a moment to respond.

"I think Crystal is more likely," he replied. Tony shook his head.

"Why?" he asked, slightly annoyed.

"She admitted that she and Davis were having an affair, Tony," McGee said. "If they were hiding it from Crystal's husband, they were hiding from Marie too. Maybe the affair turned into more for Crystal and she developed feelings for him. When Davis wouldn't leave Marie, Crystal killed him."

"Good theory, McGee," Gibbs said, rounding the corner.

"Um, thank you, boss," McGee replied. Tony clenched his teeth, knowing Gibbs hadn't heard his own theory as to why it was Marie who was guilty.

"Tony, Ziva, get her back in here. I'm ready to finish this damn thing," Gibbs ordered. Tony and Ziva obeyed and exited the squad room to bring in Crystal Klein again.

"I think you're all wrong," Tony said bluntly in the car on the way to the Kleins' house.

"I know you do," Ziva sighed. "But this is what Gibbs thinks, and we cannot-"

"Go against what he says?" Tony finished for her. "Well this time I think he's got it wrong."

"You have to admit that it is very possible for Crystal to be involved," Ziva said. Tony thought for a moment before Ziva continued. "Especially if she and Marie were friends."

"Fine," Tony relented. "Maybe Crystal was involved...But she certainly wasn't alone. Marie had a part in it." Ziva sighed; Tony was being very persistent.

"I am sure that if Marie was involved, we will find out soon," Ziva said. "She cannot get away with it forever."

"She can if we keep letting her," Tony muttered. Ziva chose to end the conversation as they pulled up in front of the Kleins' house.

Inside, Crystal was sitting in the living room when she saw a dark car stop in front of her house. She stood from the couch and walked to the window and watched as Tony and Ziva got out of the car and headed toward the front door. Quickly, Crystal pulled out her cell phone and went to her last text message conversation. "They're here," she typed quickly and sent before she heard the knock at the door. After taking a deep breath and clearing her text messages, she answered the door.

"Hello," Crystal said with a puzzled look on her face. "Can I do something for you?"

"We're going to need you to come with us," Tony replied.

"What for?" Crystal asked.

"We just have some more questions we need you to answer," Tony explained.

"Of course," Crystal smiled. "I don't have anything to hide." She closed the front door after joining Tony and Ziva on the porch and walked with them back to the car to head back to NCIS headquarters.

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**A/N:** Well there's chapter 10. I hope you enjoyed it! Please remember to review!


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** Thanks for all the reviews and alerts! Here's chapter 11; enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or any original characters.

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Tony and Ziva stood in observation after bringing Crystal into interrogation. They watched through the glass as their suspect calmly awaited Gibbs to enter the room and begin her questioning. The car ride had been silent, and Crystal hadn't seemed anxious. Tony wasn't positive about how this case would turn out, but he had a feeling that Crystal was going to keep trying to send them in circles, causing them to end up nowhere. Finally, Gibbs entered the interrogation room.

"Agent Gibbs," Crystal greeted him as he sat across from her.

"You don't seem too concerned as to why you're here," Gibbs said.

"I have nothing to hide," Crystal shrugged. "I told you everything you needed to know last time."

"Is that so?" Gibbs asked.

"Absolutely," Crystal replied. Gibbs nodded, a smirk on his face.

"So there's nothing you'd like to add to what you've said previously?" Gibbs asked, to which Crystal shook her head. "Nothing you'd like to change or confess?"

"No, sir," Crystal replied confidently.

"All right," Gibbs continued, opening the folder he brought in with him. "This is your cell phone record. Can you tell me why there are so many calls from Marie Davis?"

"We're friends," Crystal replied simply.

"Friends," Gibbs repeated. "You previously admitted to having an affair with John Davis. Is that correct?"

"No," Crystal replied. "I admitted to having sex with John one time. I never admitted to having an affair with him."

"Your husband has seen your car outside of the Davis household on several different occasions," Gibbs reminded her.

"Because Marie and I are friends," Crystal repeated.

"No," Gibbs smiled. "It's because you were having an affair with Marie's husband."

"Believe whatever you want," Crystal shrugged. "John and I were not having an affair. And even if we were, what does that have to do with Marie and I being friends?"

"Not many women are too fond of the idea of remaining friends with the woman her husband is cheating with," Gibbs said.

"Well, there wasn't an affair," Crystal held her ground.

"Crystal, we know there was an affair, and that's why there are so many calls to you from Marie," Gibbs said. "Marie found out her husband was cheating on her with you, so all the calls were to harass you and try to keep you away from her husband."

"That's not true," Crystal said simply.

"Then, over the course of your affair, you developed feelings for John Davis, and you tried convincing him to leave Marie," Gibbs continued with the team's theory. "When he wouldn't leave Marie, you killed him."

"No," Crystal said. "None of that is true. I wasn't having an affair with John. Marie wasn't harassing me; we talked on the phone because we are friends. And I told you, I did not kill him. I was at work that day. I gave you the phone number to verify that."

"Yes you did," Gibbs nodded. "I called your place of employment, and I was told that you were there that day."

"Exactly," Crystal smiled.

"However, you left work at 5:15. John Davis wasn't killed until later that evening," Gibbs finished. Crystal was silent for a moment, not sure how to respond.

"That still doesn't mean that I killed him," she finally said. "You obviously didn't think I killed him either. You let me go last time."

"Last time we didn't have as much evidence against you as we do now," Gibbs replied. "Had you actually been at work all evening, you wouldn't be in this room right now. Unfortunately for you, you left work at 5:15, so your alibi doesn't check out."

"Seriously, you have no motive to prove that I did it. I wasn't having an affair with John, so your theory that I was jealous of Marie is invalid," Crystal said, an irritated tone present in her voice.

"Well we've been investigating this case for a while now, and everything keeps pointing back to you," Gibbs said.

"How so?" Crystal demanded.

"You admitted to having sex with John Davis. Your phone records show Marie Davis was harassing you, trying to end your affair with her husband. You can deny this all you want, but the evidence doesn't lie. Your whereabouts are not accounted for at his time of death. We also found the murder weapon," Gibbs paused for a moment to study Crystal's facial expression. There was a slight flash of worry in her eyes, but she quickly covered it up.

"Did you?" Crystal asked quietly.

"Yes. In a grocery bag in the bushes," Gibbs replied. "But you already knew those details."

"I didn't kill him," Crystal insisted again.

"You know, all of this evidence makes you look pretty bad, but I haven't told you the big one yet," Gibbs said.

"What's that?" Crystal asked.

"I bet you thought we forgot about this, in fact," Gibbs started. "We've talked to several different people. Marie, your husband Shawn, even the Davis' neighbor. However, while talking to all of them, I was never able to figure out just how fibers were found on Davis' body that match your car." All color drained from Crystal's face; she had obviously forgotten about the fibers she had been told about.

"My...my husband must have done it!" she exclaimed. Gibbs smirked and shook his head.

"Why would he? Where's his motive? You've been trying to convince me you weren't cheating on him. If that were true, why would your husband want him dead?" Gibbs asked.

"Well...Shawn _thought_ I was having an affair with John. Maybe that was enough for him to kill," Crystal suggested, the panic very clear in her voice.

"No, that's not what happened here," Gibbs said. "You killed him, and you know you did. Stop trying to pawn it off on other people."

"It wasn't me!" Crystal nearly yelled. "Look at the knife! I bet you won't find my fingerprints on it!" Gibbs leaned back in his chair calmly and smiled while he let Crystal take a deep breath to calm herself.

"Feeling better?" he asked when Crystal had settled down. She was still fuming, and Gibbs could see the panic still present in her eyes.

"Why?" she demanded. Gibbs stood and walked around behind her.

"Stand up," he instructed.

"Why?" she demanded again.

"You're under arrest for the murder of John Davis," Gibbs replied.

"What! Based on that little bit you have against me?" Crystal exclaimed.

"No," Gibbs replied with a chuckle. "I never told you the murder weapon was a knife."

From the observation room, Tony and Ziva watched as the realization of what she had said hit Crystal. She hung her head down and let tears escape from her eyes. Tony saw the satisfaction on his boss's face for finally putting an end to this case.

"Guess Gibbs was right after all," Ziva said.

"Yeah," Tony said bitterly.

"It is nothing to be upset about," Ziva said. "You had good reason to suspect Marie."

"I know," Tony sighed. "This just still doesn't feel right to me." Ziva shook her head and walked toward the door to exit the room. Tony stayed behind for a moment to think everything over. He knew that Crystal was guilty; he had just seen it himself. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get the feeling out of his mind that something still wasn't right.

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**A/N:** Well there's chapter 11! I hope you liked it. There are 4 more chapters planned for this story, so stay tuned! Please remember to review and let me know what you think!


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** Thanks for reading and reviewing so far! And remember, there are only three more chapters after this one...But there are three more _stories_ once this is finished! I decided to make it into a 5-story series instead of just 4 :) Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this one! Here's chapter 12!

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or any original characters.

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Later that night, Tony was lying in bed while Ziva was getting ready to bed. He hadn't been able to get his mind off of the case that they had just solved. He knew it was over; Crystal was in custody. But, something was just telling him that they had made a mistake. Gibbs had thought Crystal was the killer for a while and had disagreed with Tony's theory that Marie was guilty. Usually, when Gibbs goes with his own instincts, he is correct, and even if Tony may not fully agree, he has always ended up seeing the truth. And the truth is that Gibbs is rarely wrong. But in this case...

"The kids are in bed," Ziva said, walking into the room. She crossed the bedroom to her dresser and started pulling out some night clothes.

"Okay," Tony said distantly.

"So now that the case is over, we can start focusing on moving into our new house," Ziva said happily. They had decided on the third house while still working on the case and had spoken with the owner of the apartment complex as well as the bank. Ziva was ready to put their down payment on the house, move in, and start their new life as soon as possible. Now that the case was solved, she was able to focus on doing just that.

"Yeah," Tony agreed.

"What's wrong?" Ziva asked as she finished pulling on a pair of cloth shorts and a tank top.

"Nothing," Tony replied. "I'm just thinking."

"You are not still obsessing over that case, are you?" Ziva asked. She walked over to their bed and crawled in beside her husband, pulling the covers over her body.

"I'm not obsessing," Tony said. "I just think Marie was involved."

"Honey, you have to let this go," Ziva said. "You were there today. It was Crystal."

"It just doesn't add up if Marie wasn't involved," Tony insisted. Ziva leaned over to kiss Tony's cheek and ran her fingers through his hair.

"It is over," she said. "Be happy that we can move on and that there is closure in this man's death."

"Okay," Tony sighed, knowing he was alone in his theory. The rest of the team was probably right. He just had to let it go. "Good night." He kissed Ziva good night and turned off the light on the night stand. Shortly, Tony and Ziva were both asleep.

A few hours later, Ziva was awoken by the feeling of someone lightly touching her arm and the sound of a soft voice. Her eyes quickly opened, and she saw Aaliyah standing next to the bed holding a teddy bear close to her chest. Ziva sat up and pushed Aaliyah's hair off of her face.

"What is it, sweetie?" Ziva whispered. "Did you have a bad dream?"

"No. I heard a noise," Aaliyah answered softly. Ziva looked at the clock on her night stand and saw that it was almost 1:30 in the morning. Tony turned over to face them, still mostly asleep.

"Aaliyah is scared," Ziva said. "She says she heard a noise."

"Tell her to go back to bed," Tony sighed, not opening his eyes. Ziva rolled her eyes and turned back to Aaliyah.

"Do you want to sleep in Mommy and Daddy's bed?" she asked. Aaliyah nodded and crawled over Ziva to lay down in between her parents.

"I still heard a noise," Aaliyah insisted. "Aiden heard it too."

"Aiden is awake?" Ziva asked. Aaliyah nodded. "Maybe I should go check on him."

"Or maybe you should both go to sleep," Tony said, still not fully waking up.

"I will go-" Ziva stopped speaking when she heard a noise. It was a loud thud as though something fell over. Tony was awoken by the sound and sat up in bed.

"Did you hear that?" he asked his wife. Ziva nodded, her heart beginning to pound harder.

"It sounded like it came from the living room," Ziva said. Aaliyah whimpered and snuggled against Ziva who wrapped her arms around her. The three of them sat quietly on the bed listening for another noise. They heard a floorboard creak as though someone was walking on it.

"I'll go check it out," Tony whispered.

"I'm scared," Aaliyah said. Ziva ran her fingers through her daughter's hair and kissed the top of her head.

"Everything's going to be okay, baby," Tony reassured her as he stood from the bed and pulled his gun out of the drawer of his night stand. "Zi, take Aaliyah and go to their room with Aiden." Ziva nodded and stood from the bed, holding Aaliyah in her arms. Tony had walked over to their bedroom door and peered down the hallway. He nodded to Ziva that is was clear for her to go to the kids' room.

"Be careful," Ziva whispered to her husband as she exited the room with Aaliyah. Tony watched to make sure that Ziva and Aaliyah were safely inside Aiden and Aaliyah's room before taking a deep breath and stepping out of the bedroom and into the hallway to walk toward the living room and see what awaited him in the dark.

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**A/N:** I know it was shorter than recent chapters, but I hope you liked this one anyway :) Please remember to review and let me know what you're thinking so far!


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** Thanks for all the reviews and alerts! Here's chapter 13 :)

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or any original characters!

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Tony stood at the end of the hallway in the dark with his gun ready. He listened around the corner and heard movement in the living room. Someone was slowly creeping toward the hallway. He took a deep breath and quickly rounded the corner with his gun pointed ahead of him and turned on the light switch in one movement.

"NCIS," he announced himself, but when the light turned on and he focused his eyes on the person in front of him, he was shocked. "Marie? What are you doing?"

"You weren't supposed to wake up," Marie muttered. Tony looked down at Marie's hand and noticed the knife she was holding.

"Put down your weapon," Tony instructed.

"No," Marie said sternly.

"Marie, put it down," he repeated.

"No!" Marie exclaimed. "Not until I set things right."

"What are you talking about?" Tony asked, still pointing his weapon straight at her and not breaking eye contact. He could see fury raging in her eyes.

"I knew you were getting to close to figuring it out," Marie began. "But I thought after I sent you after my neighbor, you'd lay off of us."

"Us?" Tony repeated her word. Had he been right? Was Marie involved in the killing of her husband after all?

"Yes, us," Marie replied. "You were getting way to close to figuring it out. I was sure that after you let me go that day, you would realize you'd hit a dead end...That or you'd arrest that oaf who lives next to me."

"Arrest him for what? He was guilty of nothing," Tony said. "You killed your husband, didn't you?" A satisfied smile crossed Marie's face as she began to chuckle.

"Of course I did," she replied. "I'm the one who pulled the knife across his throat, not Crystal. And after you let me go free that day, I decided I had to put an end to everything before you actually found out the truth. We planned out the most effective solution...surely NCIS would be so blinded with grief that they'd just forget all about who killed John Davis." Tony glanced down at the knife in Marie's hand and realized exactly what she meant by that.

"You wanted to kill us?" he asked. This sparked a maniacal flash in Marie's eyes.

"You two _were_ the ones that kept pushing so hard to figure it out. You were always who I talked to...I knew you never stopped suspecting me. It had to end," Marie explained. Tony couldn't believe it...this woman actually broke into his and Ziva's apartment to kill them to try and prevent NCIS from finding out the truth. Tony then showed a look of confusion as a question crossed his mind.

"How did you know where we live?" he asked. Marie smiled, obviously proud of her tactics and eager to share them.

"After I was let go that day, I noticed you and your wife were leaving too. I told my friend who picked me up to follow you. She kept asking why, but I refused to tell her. I just told her it was important and she did what I said. We followed you all around town, and I'll be honest, had I known you were going house shopping I would have chosen a different day. But at every stop you made, I was there. Finally, you drove here, and I knew this was it," Marie explained. Tony thought back to Ziva saying she had been seeing the same car. It was Marie.

"So then what about Crystal?" he asked. "She had to have been involved. She gave herself up today."

"Oh, she was involved," Marie admitted. "But not in the way you people keep assuming."

"What do you mean?" Tony asked.

"You keep trying to make me believe that my husband and Crystal were having an affair," Marie began. "I've told you several times, that's not true. And it's really not."

"Then why don't you explain it to me," Tony said. Marie let out a chuckle, and she brushed her hair off of her face.

"Well, she didn't lie about having sex with John," she started. "Crystal and I had met a couple of times because John and Shawn knew each other, so for John's birthday, I thought I'd let him have every man's dream. I ran the idea past Crystal, and she was all for it. John was thrilled, but what man wouldn't be?"

"You're saying Crystal had a threesome with you and your husband?" Tony asked for clarity when Marie stopped talking.

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Marie replied with a giant smile. "That was the only time she ever hooked up with John. So, yes, you were right. She did cheat on her husband with John...once. But there's something else you were right about. Crystal was having an affair, but not with him." The room fell silent as Tony registered what he was being told.

"You?" he asked. Marie nodded.

"That's right, Agent DiNozzo," she said. "The night of John's birthday, Crystal and I fell in love. There was just something there...I'd never been with a woman before. So we started seeing each other regularly. We planned on leaving our husbands, but when I tried talking to John about it, he went insane. He wouldn't accept it, and he kept calling me awful names and trying to forbid me from seeing Crystal anymore."

"So you killed him?" Tony guessed.

"Well not just like that," Marie replied. "I didn't want to kill him. I wanted to give him a chance to accept Crystal and I...He wouldn't. I needed out of the marriage, but a divorce would have taken too long, and if I moved out, I couldn't have supported myself. So, Crystal and I waited for him to get home one night. When we saw him coming up the sidewalk, we went outside. Crystal grabbed his arms and held them behind his back. I'm surprised he didn't fight her off...probably because she's a woman...He was always a gentleman like that. Then, I slit his throat. He was begging me not to, saying he loved me, but I didn't care. I didn't want him. We wrapped his neck in a towel and tossed the knife. Then we shoved him in Crystal's trunk and took him to the pond. Took the towel back and dropped him in the water. I thought we disposed of everything. But you just had to keep pushing."

"Yeah, that's our job," Tony said sternly. "And you're sick. If you want out of a marriage, you can get out. You don't have to kill someone."

"I had to do what was best for me and Crystal," Marie said. "Getting rid of John was best."

"And you thought you could get away with murdering someone?" Tony asked.

"I almost did. I would have if you would have left us alone. But when Crystal texted me telling me you were at her house to get her again, I knew we had reached the end of the line. And now, she's locked up," Marie said with venom in her words.

"Yes she is. And after that detailed confession, you'll be joining her real soon," Tony said.

"Oh no I won't," Marie replied, her eyes glistening maniacally. "But I made a vow that I'd get revenge for her. And that's what I plan to do!" Marie raised the knife and lunged forward toward Tony. Instinctively, he pulled the trigger on his gun, and Marie dropped to the floor, dead. From down the hallway, Tony heard Aiden and Aaliyah's screams of fear before they started crying.

"What's going o-" Janice, who had heard the gunshot and ran over from next door began. She stopped when she saw Marie lying on the floor, blood flowing from the bullet wound Tony had put in her head. "Oh my God!"

"Janice, can you take Aiden and Aaliyah for the night?" Tony asked as he walked toward the hall closet to pull out a sheet that he could use to cover Marie's body so his children wouldn't see it.

"Of course," Janice replied. Tony covered Marie's body and walked down the hallway to Aiden and Aaliyah's room, leaving Janice standing in the living room in shock as to what was laying in front of her. He walked inside to see Ziva sitting on Aiden's bed, her arm around a scared-looking Aiden, and a frightened Aaliyah on her lap. Tears were obvious on both children's faces.

"Are you guys okay?" Tony asked, joining Ziva on Aiden's bed and letting Aaliyah crawl onto his lap.

"What was that noise?" Aiden asked, taking his sister's place on Ziva's lap.

"Someone bad was inside, but it is okay now. Daddy took care of it," Ziva said, running her fingers through her son's hair. Ziva had heard everything that took place, so she knew it had been Marie.

"Janice is here, so you guys are going to go to her place for the rest of the night, okay?" Tony asked the kids. Aaliyah and Aiden both nodded their approval. Tony and Ziva stood from the bed, each still holding a child, and walked down the hallway and through the living room, trying to shield the twins' eyes from the scene as much as possible. Tony and Ziva set Aiden and Aaliyah down in Janice's living room, gave them a kiss, and told them goodbye before returning to their own apartment. Janice had previously called the police, so Tony pulled out his phone to call Gibbs.

"Yeah," Gibbs answered on the other line, just coming out of his sleep. Tony looked around at the living room and the events of the past few minutes raced through his mind as he tried to picture what his boss's reaction would be.

"Hey boss," he started. "You're not going to believe this."

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**A/N:** So there's chapter 13 :) I hope you liked it and that your questions regarding the case are now answered. I have two more chapters of this story for you though! Please remember to review and let me know what you think!


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:** Thanks for all the reviews and alerts! I'm glad you're all liking it so far. Enjoy chapter 14!

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or any original characters.

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The next day at work, Tony and Ziva had been welcomed by a very excited Abby. She had run up to them as they came out of the elevator and wrapped them both in a giant hug, exclaiming how happy she was that they and the children were all unharmed. The previous night, Tony had informed Gibbs of everything that happened, so McGee was the only person of the team who was unaware of the events of last night. When Tony and Ziva got to their desks, they were greeted with McGee's confusion as to why Abby had acted the way she had, and Tony didn't waste a second of telling his coworker all about Marie breaking in and confessing.

"So Marie was guilty after all?" McGee asked.

"She sure was," Tony replied, a bit of cockiness in his tone to which Ziva chuckled and rolled her eyes.

"So I'd assume she was arrested," McGee concluded.

"You'd assume wrong, probie," Tony said. "She tried pulling a knife on me, so I did what I had to do."

"You shot her?" McGee interpreted.

"She had a knife, and my kids were down the hall. Of course I shot her," Tony replied. "But at least everything is solved and over with now."

"You've got that right, DiNozzo," Gibbs said, rounding the corner with his coffee. Tony, Ziva, and McGee braced themselves for Gibbs' upcoming orders, and were stunned when he simply sat behind his desk and calmly opened a folder. They stood silently for a moment, waiting for Gibbs to speak. When Gibbs felt their eyes all on him, he looked up at his team from his desk. "What?"

"Just waiting for your queue, boss," McGee replied.

"My queue for what?" Gibbs asked.

"Action," Tony answered. "'Dead marine,' or 'Grab your gear.' That's what you always say when you storm through here with your coffee."

"Not today," Gibbs shook his head.

"No case?" McGee asked.

"I've got nothing so far," Gibbs replied. "I just wanted some coffee."

McGee turned his attention back to his computer, and Tony and Ziva took their seats at their respective desks. The rest of the day went by rather slowly. No case came up, so the four of them spent their time going over paperwork and files. Eventually, five o'clock rolled around, and Tony and Ziva bid McGee and Gibbs goodbye as they went to pick Aiden and Aaliyah up from Janice who agreed to keep them from three o'clock when preschool was over until Tony and Ziva were home from work.

After picking up the twins, Tony and Ziva prepared dinner and had a family meal. Then, while Aiden and Aaliyah were playing in their room down the hallway, Tony and Ziva continued packing their belongings for their upcoming move. They were working on removing pictures and wall-hangings from the living room to wrap in newspaper and put in boxes when the twins reentered the room.

"Whatcha doing?" Aiden asked, walking over to an empty box and peering inside it.

"Packing," Ziva smiled.

"For what?" Aaliyah asked. Ziva sighed and she and Tony sat on the couch and pulled their kids over to them.

"How would you like to move out of this apartment?" Ziva asked.

"Where we live?" Aaliyah asked, confused.

"We are moving into a house," Ziva replied. "It is a lot bigger than where we live now."

"And you guys will each have your own room, and there's a bunch of room inside the house for you to play, and you'll have a whole yard outside to play in too," Tony continued.

"Own room?" Aiden repeated.

"Yeah, so you can have all your stuff in your room, and Aaliyah will have all her stuff in her room, but your rooms will still be right next to each other," Tony replied.

"Does that sound fun to you?" Ziva asked. Aaliyah smiled and began nodding her head. Aiden quickly followed suit.

"Good," Tony smiled. "So we're packing everything right now so we can move it over there within the next week or so."

"Need to pack our room?" Aiden asked.

"Not right away," Ziva replied. "We will work on the bedrooms in a couple days." Aiden and Aaliyah gave their approval and went back to their room to continue playing.

"Well they seem okay with it," Tony said once the children had left the living room.

"Yes they do," Ziva agreed. "They could not have roomed together for much longer anyway." Tony nodded his agreement.

"This will be good for everyone," he said. He and Ziva stood from the couch to continue packing so they could move into their new house and begin the new chapter of their lives.

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**A/N:** There's chapter 14. I hope you liked it! I have one more chapter, and then this addition to the series is over. Stay tuned for the final chapter! And please remember to review!


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:** Here's chapter 15! The final chapter of "Blessed." I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or any original characters. I only own those whom I have made up.

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Over the course of the next week, work was rather uneventful, so Tony and Ziva were able to devote most of their time to focusing on packing. Finally, the day had come when they were moving from the apartment to their new house. They had rented a moving truck, and Gibbs, McGee, and Abby were there to help load everything. Aiden and Aaliyah were at Janice's apartment while everything was being loaded into the truck. Telling Janice they were moving had not been easy, but she had been happy for them. Janice was excited that they were moving on, and she knew it was best for Tony and Ziva as well as the children.

"What's left?" McGee asked, walking back into the apartment. The living room and kitchen were completely empty. As they walked down the hallway, they checked each room and saw the bathroom was empty as well before reaching the bedrooms.

"There are a few boxes left in the bedrooms," Ziva said, walking into hers and Tony's room. Gibbs and McGee went to Aiden and Aaliyah's room to gather the remaining items, and Tony joined Ziva in their own room.

"It's strange seeing it like this, isn't it," he said, breaking the silence. Ziva nodded.

"We have had a lot of good times in this apartment," she said.

"We sure have," Tony agreed. They each thought silently for a moment about the past several years they spent in that apartment. It was the first place they lived in together. That living room was where they spent several afternoons together just watching movies or talking. The kitchen was home to so many family dinners, holiday meals, and romantic evenings when Tony and Ziva had stayed in for dinner instead of going out. The room they were currently standing in was the room where their children had been conceived. It was also home to thousands of nights that they had just spent together. Ziva looked around the room at the empty walls and the empty floor. She turned around and left the room to walk into Aiden and Aaliyah's room.

Once inside, she stood in the middle of the floor looking around at all the walls, just like she had five years prior after losing their first child. She saw as the room transformed before her eyes and saw the blue walls and the baby furniture and toys that had been bought for Landon. As a lump formed in her throat, that image vanished and changed into the refinished nursery that had been created for Aiden and Aaliyah during her second pregnancy. Then, she came back to reality and the current view of the room set in. The walls were bare, and all the furniture had been removed. There was no sign that this room had just been the bedroom of two lively toddlers. Ziva was taking a deep breath when she heard Tony come in the room behind her.

"Ready to go?" he asked softly. Ziva stood for a moment silently before nodding her head and turning around to face her husband.

"Yes," she replied. They left the room and walked down the hallway into the living room where Gibbs, McGee, and Abby were standing.

"Looks like we got everything," Gibbs said. Tony nodded.

"We'll go get Aiden and Aaliyah and meet you guys at the house," he said. Their coworkers agreed and left Tony and Ziva alone in their living room. They took one last look around at the bare space before Tony reached over to take Ziva's hand and they stepped out of the doorway, pulling the door closed on their apartment for the final time.

They knocked on Janice's door and were greeted by their children who were excited to go see the new house. Tony left to take Aiden and Aaliyah down to the car while Ziva was thanking and saying goodbye to Janice.

"Tony and I want to thank you for all you have done for us over the past few years," she said.

"It was my pleasure," Janice replied. "It has been a blessing getting to know you."

"Well thank you," Ziva smiled. Janice returned the smile and wrapped Ziva in a hug.

"You know if you ever need any help with the kids you can call me at any time," Janice reminded her. "And we had better keep in touch."

"Of course," Ziva replied. She stood in silence thinking about everything Janice had done for their family.

"You'd better get going now, dear," Janice said. Ziva nodded. "I'm very happy for all of you."

"Thanks, Janice," Ziva said. She bid her goodbye and turned to join her husband and children in the car.

When they arrived at the house, Aiden and Aaliyah ran inside and started exploring while the adults began moving everything inside. There was a lot to be unloaded, but between the five of them, the task moved rather quickly. The inside of the house was now full of furniture and stacks of cardboard boxes. Over the next several days, Tony and Ziva would spend their time unpacking everything and turning this house into a home, and they were ready to embark on that adventure.

"Thank you all for helping today," Ziva said when the last box had been carried in.

"No problem!" Abby exclaimed. "It was so much fun!" She gave Tony and Ziva each a hug before stepping aside so McGee could hug Ziva and shake Tony's hand. Next, Gibbs stepped forward.

"It's a nice looking house," he said. "You two are going to be fine."

"Thank you," Ziva smiled and hugged her boss. After pulling away from Ziva, Gibbs turned toward his senior field agent.

"Come outside with me?" Gibbs requested. Tony was slightly puzzled, but nodded and followed Gibbs out the front door onto the porch. They leaned against the railing in silence for a moment as the breeze blew, causing the leaves on the trees to rustle. "There's something I want to talk to you about."

"What's that?" Tony asked. Gibbs sighed and looked Tony straight in the eyes.

"I know I haven't said this often, but I'm proud of you," he began. "You have always been one of my best agents, and you know that. You've grown tremendously over the years, and now there's nothing more I can do for you."

"What are you saying, boss?" Tony asked, a nervous feeling in his stomach.

"You're figuring things out, and when you feel something, you go with that feeling and prove it," Gibbs continued. "That's why you were able to solve this last case. You were right from the beginning when you suspected Marie. I got it wrong that time."

"Crystal was guilty too, though," Tony pointed out.

"But I missed what you saw when you were watching Marie," Gibbs said. "And I think that's a sign that it's your turn."

"My turn?" Tony asked. Gibbs nodded and turned his head to face the front yard, his silver hair fluttering in the breeze.

"I wouldn't leave this team if I didn't believe it'd be going to someone who could handle it," Gibbs said. "And you can handle it."

"You're leaving?" Tony asked. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I'm retiring," Gibbs replied. Tony had a quick flashback to the last time Gibbs had said that, and Gibbs realized what was going through Tony's mind. Gibbs added with a smile, "For real this time."

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Tony asked. Gibbs nodded.

"It's what is best for me and the team," he replied. "I'm proud of you and completely confident that you can do what's right for this team and handle the position. It's yours now, Tony." The two of them remained silent as Gibbs allowed this new information to sink in for Tony.

"I don't know what to say," Tony finally said. Gibbs chuckled.

"You don't have to say anything. I know you'll do it," he said. Tony nodded.

"I won't let you down, boss," he said.

"I know," Gibbs said. "You never have."

Shortly after his talk with Tony, Gibbs and McGee and Abby all left to allow Tony and Ziva to begin unpacking. That evening, Tony told Ziva about what Gibbs had said, and Ziva was as speechless as Tony had been. She was happy for her husband and knew this meant that there would be changes at work. They would definitely need a fourth agent. But, Ziva knew that whatever was bound to happen at work would all turn out the way it should be, so she wasn't worried. She knew Tony could handle it, just like Gibbs had said.

The rest of the week went by, and Tony and Ziva had nearly all of the boxes unpacked and the house decorated. At work, they were training a new agent on their team, and Tony was handling the stress very well, like everyone believed he would. One day, while Ziva was at home with the kids, Tony was out on an errand. When he returned home, he came inside with a small, potted tree.

"What is that for?" Ziva asked.

"Well, I've been doing some thinking," Tony began. "When we left that apartment, we left behind a lot of memories, good and bad. Aiden and Aaliyah are obviously with us every day, but the only memories we had of Landon took place in that apartment. So, I thought we could plant this tree in his honor out back, and over time it would grow, just like Aiden and Aaliyah. That way, it can feel like we have a part of him here every day too." A lump formed in Ziva's throat and her eyes filled with tears.

"I think that is the most beautiful idea you have ever had," she said just above a whisper. She wrapped her arms around Tony's waist and rested her head on his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her in a hug.

"Get the kids, and we can do it as a family," he said. Ziva nodded and swallowed the lump in her throat down before leaving the room to get Aiden and Aaliyah.

Outside, they picked the perfect spot in the backyard for the tree. Then, Tony and Ziva let Aiden and Aaliyah take turns digging in the ground until the hole was deep enough. Tony and Ziva carefully removed the tree and roots from the pot and transferred it to the ground. Then, Ziva refilled the hole around the tree with the soil, and they were finished. Aiden and Aaliyah, then, ran off to play in the backyard, and Tony and Ziva stood from the ground to watch their children.

"Thank you," Ziva said. "The hardest part of leaving the apartment was leaving the only memories I had of my first pregnancy, and now I feel closer to him than I've felt in five years." Tony smiled and put his arms around Ziva's shoulders.

"You're welcome," he said. "I love you."

"I love you too," Ziva replied.

Just then, Sadie, the puppy from Janice that Tony and Ziva had surprised Aiden and Aaliyah with, ran outside through the back door that they had left cracked open. Sadie ran over to where Aiden and Aaliyah were playing and began jumping around, licking their faces. Tony and Ziva smiled at the sight; their children were happily playing and laughing, music to any parent's ears. Their family was complete, and with a new home and Tony's new job, Tony and Ziva were prepared to take on the next chapter of their lives together.

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**A/N:** Well, I hope you liked this story. Thank you so much to everyone who has read this and "For Better or For Worse." It means a lot to me that you have stuck with me throughout these two stories, and I really hope you stick with me while I write the remaining three stories of this series! Also, I'd like to thank Olivia, a reviewer of "For Better or For Worse" who gave me the idea of planting the tree in Landon's honor. I really appreciate it! So, I hope you all enjoyed this, and please review! And be on the look out for the debut of my third story of this series!


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